


Mine Enemy

by litra



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Espionage, Healing, Idiots in Love, Includes Art, Interrogation, M/M, Miscommunication, Missing Backstory, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, atalon, due to cultural differences, embeded art, mental and physical healing, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:55:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29625963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/litra/pseuds/litra
Summary: Kallus decides to surrender to the Ghost crew after Geonosis.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios
Comments: 12
Kudos: 64
Collections: Kalluzeb Mini-Bang 2021





	Mine Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> With are by the wonderful elleTchj

  
  


The sound of a ship entering the atmosphere of the moon made them look up. Even before they saw it, Kallus knew it wasn't an empire ship. It was too small to be a transport and had too much mass to be a fighter or a scout.

So that was it then. He and Zeb had survived their miserable night on this ice encrusted moon, and the rebels had found them first. Their holding pattern had ended. The unspoken truce was at an end. Zeb grinned, tossed the rock to Kallus and started forward. In a second they'd see him and that would be it. This was his last chance to be a loyal member of the Empire. His last chance to shoot Zeb... 

Kallus's hands tightened on the meteor. He'd never made a habit of lying to himself. He'd lost, it was that simple. Nothing he did now would change that. Zeb might be his enemy again but attacking him wouldn't pull victory from the jaws of defeat, it would only damage his own standing in the eyes of his captors.

And captors they would be, if he valued his life. There was a slim enough chance that the empire would find him, even with the transmitter. He'd had plenty of time to do the math. By now all the escape pods would have been picked up and the salvage crews would be the ones scouring the system. One of them might pick up the signal, or it might be out of the target range for expected projectiles. He could live as a captive, or he could take a one in four, maybe one in five, chance of someone else finding him before he froze to death. 

Zeb turned to look back at him and held out a hand. "Come on," He said as he hefted Kallus up, letting the human wrap an arm around his shoulders. Together they slipped out from their crack in the rock. Shure enough it was the ghost landing on a relatively level patch of ice.

"Ah, your friends did find you," Alex said, confirming what he'd already known.

"Like I said they would," Zeb replied without a hint of irony or relief. The smile on his features almost looked content. "You know we will treat you fairly."

Alex let our a little laugh. Fairly compared to what, he wanted to ask. Fairly compared to the torture the empire would have inflicted if the situation had been reversed? Fairly compared to drugs and probes and inquisitors? The worst part was that it was the raw truth. Anything they did, he would deserve because he would have done the same or worse in their place. 

One in five didn't look too bad in that light. 

Alex started to pull away. Zeb let him slip his arm off his shoulders and lean against the rock face. He took a breath. The air froze his throat and he ended up just shaking his head.

Zeb lifted an eyebrow and waited. In the distance the Ghost's engines lowered in pitch, idling. In a minute the doors would open and the rest of his rebels would come looking for the signal beacon still strapped to his belt. 

Alex shook his head again, "It's nothing."

Zeb shrugged and offered his arm again, already turning to look out towards his friends. Alex took the offered help and let Zeb lead him towards his enemies. The welcoming cries of Zeb's name faded as they saw he wasn't alone. 

"Zeb?" Hera Syndula asked. 

Kallus noted that the elder Jedi had had hand next to his lightsaber while the younger one had fallen back next to his master instead of running ahead. Beside him Zeb grunted. Alex dropped his arm, stepping away. Whatever Zeb had been about to say hung unspoken in the air as everyone watched him.

Kallus offered up his hands, "I surrender," and with that he sealed his fate. 

They didn't have a proper set of binders to hand or anything that could be called a cell. Instead the Mandalorian adjusted one of the magna-clamps until it would hold him in place against the wall of the cargo bay. Their droid watched over him occasionally threatening him with a shock-prod as they lifted off and set course. He tried to stay alert, but after Zeb and the others climbed up to the main part of the ship the heat started to work it's way into him. 

Alex's leg started to throb. He slid down the wall, propping his leg out in front of him. The magna-clamp pinched, keeping one hand above his head. He needed a med-kit, and bacta if he could get it. He wondered if the Rebel leaders would bother healing him up, or if they'd use his injury to their advantage during whatever interrogation was to come. 

Even with the pain and his dark thoughts Kallus closed his eyes. The purr of a ship in hyperspace signaled safety straight down to his bones. He let his head fall forward, and drift.

<><><>

A hand landed on his shoulder. Kallus tensed, eyes snapping open. 

"Easy, I just need to take a look at your leg." The Jedi, Kanan Jarrus, was kneeling next to him. The droid was still there, watching with disapproval from the corner. None of the others were there. The ship had dropped out of hyperspace but it was still flying, not in an atmosphere judging from the sound of it. 

Alex nodded, and tried to relax. The arm that was held in place above his head had lost feeling. His neck and back were cramped. His leg was as bad as before, still strapped to his borifle and throbbing with a relentless aching pain. Jarrus set a med kit down just out of his reach and started laying out what he'd need.

"Zeb told us what happened," Jarrus said without looking up.

Kallus wondered if this was going to be the start of the interrogation. Jarrus wasn't who he would have pegged as the good cop. If he were organizing it, he would have sent Zeb. They already had a repour after the moon. Or maybe The Captain and the others didn't know Jarrus was here. Maybe he'd slipped in to confront him about all his past actions before anyone could stop him. 

Alex let his head thunk back against the wall. "Before choice, or honor, or duty, one must survive."

Jarrus sat back on his heels and looked at him, "That sounds like a quote."

"Something my mother used to say." 

Jarrus watched him, waiting for him to go on, but Alex didn't know what else to say. After a long minute Jarrus nodded slowly, and looked down at the med-kit. 

"I'm going to have to take the brace off to treat your leg. It'll hurt."

Alex nodded, "I'm ready."

It did hurt. without the brace his muscles screamed about having to hold together his leg on their own. Behind the pain, Alex cursed the loss of his weapon, even if he couldn't have used it. 

"I'm sorry but I'm going to need to cut open your pants to get to the injury. I'll try to make it fast," Jarrus said, keeping his tone low and level. Alex managed a nod. It was another indignity, to lose his clothing and one of the only things he had left, but it couldn't be helped. At least there was a reason for it. Prisoners of the Empire were often stripped for no reason at all other then to humiliate them and break down their defenses. 

Jarrus started at the hem, tugging it out of hit boot and sliding the scissors up his leg. The bone hadn't broken through the skin, but every inch of leg that was revealed was purple-black with bruising. It was as if seeing it redoubled the pain. Alex clenched his free hand, fingernails trying to burry themselves into the durasteel of the cargo bay floor. He breathed out, counting in his head. This was nothing. He could get through this. He'd have to if he was going to get through everything to come. 

Then Jarrus pealed open several local anesthetic packs and started pressing the patches onto his leg. Alex breathed out slowly through his teeth as the pain faded into the distance. He would have said that his leg felt cold, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to call anything cold ever again. 

"Okay, you were lucky, this could be a lot worse, especially with everything Zeb described," Jarrus said, gently running his fingers over the wound. Alex couldn't tell if the tingling he could feel was from the painkillers or if Jarrus was using the force on him. That was a dark thought. Kallus had seen the Inquisitors use the force too often to be comfortable with it. 

Jarrus spread bacta jell over the worst of it and got out a proper flexi-cast. The stiff foam locked his leg in place, immobilizing his knee. It was a fare site better then the makeshift splint, but still a far cry from a proper medical facility. If the empire had found them his leg would have been seen to by a medical droid. He would have been given a bacta wash and would have been able to walk again within a day. 

There was no point in dwelling on what might have been. 

"Anywhere else hurt?" Jarrus said when he seemed satisfied with his work. 

"Just a few bruises. Nothing worth noting, though my wrist is getting a cramp." Kallus nodded to where his hand was still in the clamp. 

"Yeah, not much I can do about that," Jarrus said, packing up the kit. "I'll see if I can find a chair for you." He stood and looked down at Kallus with an expression he couldn't read for a long minute.

"Thank you."

Kallus lifted an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Helping Zeb get out of there. I've met people who would have shot him in the back just even if it meant both of them died."

Kallus grunted. Jarrus wasn't wrong. If he ever got back to the empire it would be a toss up as to if he would be treated as a hero for surviving or a traitor for having been captured in the first place. 

"Yes well, I value my life a bit more then that." 

Jarrus made a non-committal sound. "I'll have someone bring you some food. We've got another 6 or seven hours of flying, before we link up with command." As he spoke the ship shifted under them as they made another hyperspace jump. 

Kallus nodded. He considered thanking the Jedi, but Jarrus left before he could get the words out. 

Seven hours, plus the time they'd already spent in hyperspace. It didn't narrow down the Rebel's location much and there was no guarantee that he'd be taken to their base. There was no one to report to, but he still filed the information away, bringing up maps and star charts in his mind. Back to Lothal? No, he would have been aware if a larger rebel base had managed to take root. 

He put the thought aside. Nothing he could do about it now.

<><><>

More time passes. Enough that he starts to wonder if seven hours was accurate. The Mandalorian girl brought him a sealed ration bar and canteen. The water isn't sealed so if they were going to drug him it would be in that. It makes him wonder if she just grabbed the first ration bar they had or if making sure it was a sealed one was some kind of trick. He can go without food a lot longer then water and after freezing water is the more important resource in any case. 

He decides to drink slowly, in sips every few minutes and see if he can feel anything affect him. He's been exposed to some of the more common mind altering drugs as part of his interrogator training. There are more of them that he's memorized the symptoms of. If there's anything in the water it's not one that he knows, or it's too diluted for him to notice over all the other complaints his body has. 

After the failed experiment with the water he eats the ration bar all in one go. It makes him feel bloated and sluggish, but since it's the first thing he's eaten since before the crash, he doesn't really mind. 

The droid, they call it Chopper according to his reports and observations. Keeps watch over him the whole time. It doesn't appear to power down, or even go into standby mode. Every time he moves too fast or too far from where the droid decided he should be, it snaps it's manipulators at him or sends angry strings of beeps in his direction. If he spoke Binary, he'd likely be picking up some new and interesting vocabulary. As it is, he can't even converse with it. 

Isolation is the simplest and most basic way of breaking someone. Even with a deadline it's still a strain. Kallus is well aware of that fact and has used it to as part of breaking people many times. 

He'd been trained to handle it. He was once locked in a room for two days without sight or sound of any other person as part of that training. Back then trained, at least as much as the cell would allow, push-ups and sit-ups and so on. That wasn't an option at the moment, and not only because he was cuffed to the wall. Instead he settled into as comfortable a position as he could manage and focused on his breathing. 

The ship eventually dropped out of hyperspace again. Kallus opened his eyes, and frowned. The younger Jedi, Bridger, was sitting cross legged in front of him, eyes closed. The droid was gone. As he watched Bridger breathed deeper and seemed to come back to himself. He took in Kallus watching him.

"Here to keep an eye on me? The droid wasn't enough?" Alex knew he shouldn't say anything but he couldn't help it. 

Bridger shrugged. "Chopper's a member of the crew. All crew get down time, and it's not like you're hard to watch." He frowned studying Kallus. "I didn't know you knew how to meditate."

"Focusing your mind doesn't require a connection to the force." 

Bridger leaned back on his hands and looked at the ceiling, "I guess not, but I've never seen anyone else bother before. I wouldn't have expected it from an empire lackey." 

Kallus knew Bridger was trying to get under his skin. It was working to a certain extent. "Clearly you've never interacted with the Empire's higher ranks."

"Vader's not in the higher ranks?"

"Running away doesn't count as interacting," Kallus said his words clear cut and precise. 

Bridger snorted and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We beat your first inquisitor. We'll handle whatever you send at us next. Guess it wont be you sending them though."

"No," Kallus agreed reluctantly. Governor Price would be informed and the inquisitors would be notified. The information would get passed up the chain and someone would be assigned as a replacement. Word was that the Admirals were taking an interest. Would one of them get assigned to Lothal and the surrounding area? Rumor had it that Price knew Moff Tarkin and Admiral Thrawn...

The sound of the engine shifted again. They were preparing to land. He hadn't heard any sound of reentry so they must be docking with another ship. Kallus nodded to the area around them. "Sounds like we've arrived." He expected to be moved to a proper cell with proper interrogators and possibly Rebel higher ups. It made sense to keep him on various ships. There would be no where to escape to, and he wouldn't be able to learn the planetary location of any of their bases. 

Bridger got to his feet. "Yeah, guess so." He looked around clearly eager to see what his fellows were doing. They didn't have to wait long. Wren and Zeb appeared after a few minutes. Zeb had a flight helmet under one arm.

"Hey, that's mine, what are you--" Bridger reached for the helmet, but Zeb held it out of his reach. 

"I'm just borrowing it, you'll get it back." Zeb grunted. 

Kallus turned his attention to Wren when she stepped forward. She had a set of cuffs in one hand and her blaster in the other. Kallus considered standing. With his leg in the cast he could probably manage it, but that didn't mean it would be easy or painless. 

"We're transferring you," Wren said, gesturing with her blaster. Kallus nodded, and shifted until he could use the wall to lever himself up. Zeb stepped forward to help. He'd apparently won the argument for the helmet, and had to juggle it to his other hand before he could get an arm around Kallus's waist. Only when he was certain Kallus wouldn't fall did Zeb reach across him to unclamp him from the wall. 

  
  


"Sorry about this, but you're going to have to..." Zeb offered up the helment. For a minute Kallus just looked at it. it was a flight helmet with a full blast visor. Why weren't they cuffing him> Then he got it. It was a blindfold. He took the helment and slipped it on, locking it in place. There was enough of a gap by his chin that he could alomost see his feet if he was careful so walking wouldn't be a complete nightmare.

"Cuffs," Wren said and he offered his hands. The cuffs locked into place in front of him thankfully. With the helmet his balance was already going to take a hit and he didn't want to fall into any more things then he had to. 

Zeb took his arm. "Right. It's this way." and guided him forward. Wren was still nearby and was Bridger at least judging by the footsteps, but soon others joined them and he lost track of how many people were in his escort. 

Would it be a cell or would they take him straight to an interrogation room? Kallus wondered what kind of information they would try to get out of him first. It could give him a hint as to their priorities, if they weren't trained for this kind of thing. 

They entered a lift and Zeb Muttered, "Almost there." His large warm hand was a comfort. A steady presence. Alex would be sad when Zeb left, but there was no way the Ghost crew would be the ones interrogating him. They weren't that kind of team. Unless they needed Jarrus to go into his head. Kallus hoped it didn't come to that. Not that he was prepared to spill details to keep it from happening but...

The lift arrived at their new floor, and Zeb led him down another passage. They were definitely still on a ship. Someone opened a door, and Zeb came to a stop just inside it.

"Right, we can get rid of this now." Zeb's claws traced under his chin, and up to his ear as he unlatched the helmet and drew it aside. His skin tingled and he gasped, blinking as the light came back. The first thing he saw was Zeb's green eyes. The other man checked him over, then nodded. He tucked the helmet under his arm. 

"I've got to check in. Reports and all that, but I'll see you later."

Kallus managed to nod. Then the door closed and Alex let out a breath. What was that? Shock? That had to be it. He centered himself and looked around. It was a cell, but it probably hadn't been designed as one. There was a bunk with a stack of blankets folded by the head. A small fresher was off to one side. There were brackets in the wall where shelving or a second bunk could be installed, but they'd been left blank for the moment. All other furniture had been removed as well. 

So that was the play. More waiting, and this time without a time limit. Still at least he was free to move around and get cleaned up. 

That thought was stifled a bit when he was faced with his hands still in their binders. He sighed and turned back to the door. There was a communication panel next to it.

"Hello?" Kallus said hitting the button. There was a beep. He decided it was probably a droid, one who would likely pass on his message and continued. "I'd like to clean up but they forgot to remove my binders. If you wouldn't mind sending someone I'd be grateful."

Now to see how uncomfortable his prison was really going to be. 

For all the appearance of comfort, there were a thousand little things that could make a person's life a living hell. So far the temperature was fine and if there were cameras he couldn't see them. When he checked the fresher both the hot and cold taps worked so he wasn't going to be forced into freezing himself all over again. There was a dispenser for all purpose soap and a simple sonic shower. No luxuries, but it was the same level of accommodation troopers got, and he had the room to himself. That too could be a punishment but it would only work if they left him there and it would hardly do any good if they didn't interrogate him. 

His thoughts were broken by a beep from the door. Kallus turned to face it.

"Sit on the bed please," A sentient voice came through the speaker. Kallus waited for a minute, wondering where the camera was. They had to have one, to make sure he complied. Still he wasn't going to try to escape this soon. He needed to recover first. He sat down on the bed, leaving fifteen feet between himself and the door. 

The door opened and a female Togruta entered. She was wearing an armored body-suit, and had a bundle of fabric in her arms, but it was the lightsabers on her belt that caught his eyes. So, this was the other Jedi that the Ghost crew had teamed up with. The inquisitors hadn't wanted to share information so he didn't know much beyond the fact that she existed, but that was enough. 

The Jedi kept her eyes on him as she palmed the door closed. Then she crossed to the end of the bed - keeping a careful space between them - and set down the cloth bundle. It was a flight suit he realized. They were made to be a adjustable to a certain extent, so chances are it would fit him. Were they going to take his clothing? Will this togruta try to humiliate him, make him strip in front of her with the pretense of checking for weapons? Or will she make a favor of letting him change in the fresher, him hobbling along on his bad leg the whole way?

"This is for you. There's a laundry shoot in the fresher. Laundry will be cleaned and returned with your morning meal. For the time being you'll get two meals a day. You can ask for music or some of the basic inter-planet signals with the door com, but I'm afraid we can't give you a datapad." The togruta straightened and looked at him. 

She seemed conflicted and for the life of him Kallus couldn't understand why. Did she not like her orders? Surely as a Jedi she had to be high in the rebellion's command structure. Kallus didn't know much about how Togruta aged but she seemed to be as old as Jarrus which would mean she might actually have military experience from the clone wars. 

"I don't suppose you have dreams of retiring to become a farmer?" She asked.

Kallus blinked several times. He caught his first response before it could escape. There was no point asking if she was serious. "No. I don't have much of a green thumb." he answered slowly.

"Yeah, I figured," she ran a hand down one of her montrals. When she stepped closer Kallus tensed, ready for violence, but she only took his hands and released the binders. He rubbed at his wrists. The one that had been in the magna-clamp was scraped raw. He didn't let himself react to the pain. She saw it anyway. 

"I'll have a jar of bacta sent up with your next meal." She looked him over one last time then turned to the door. Kallus didn't move until it slid closed behind her. 

That... It wasn't what he'd expected. It was better at least on the surface, but he couldn't let himself count on kindness. The more they gave him the more he had that could be taken away. That was the thought that lingered with him as he made himself comfortable, cleaned himself up as best he could and turned down the lights for a proper rest. 

<><><>

Alex woke when a mouse droid slipped through the small hatch next to the door. The droid unloaded another ration bar, a small jar of bacta and a glowing yellow rock. 

The meteorite. Kallus didn't know when he'd lost it. His heart seized and he flung off his blanket, stumbling across the floor to hover over it. The mouse droid let out a startled series of beeps, and did a small three point turn, exiting the way it had come it. Kallus's hand hovered over the stone. He couldn't let himself touch it. If they were watching him then he'd already given too much away. 

He takes the coward's route and picks up the bacta instead. He turns, puts his back to the wall and forces his breathing to stay even as he unscrews the jar, and smooth the jell over his wrist. The stone glowed in the corner of his vision. 

By the time the bacta had dried and his wrist had stopped tingling he'd woken up properly and had mastered himself again. He raised the lights and took both the meteor and the ration bar over to sit on the bed. Someone had taped a folded flimsy to it. Kallus wasn't sure what to expect as he unfolded it.

See you were worried about nothing, was scrawled at the top of the printout. Kallus frowned as he glanced over the rest of the page. It seemed to be a molecular analysis of the meteor. It listed out the various types of radiation, mass crystalline structure... Zeb had done this? Zeb had remembered and made sure... What? That they weren't going to die from radiation now that they were safe? That he was safe? 

The report gave a scientific name for the meteor, but also listed out a few of the more common names for it, including Kybrite and Fools Kyber. Well that certainly fit. He balanced the meteor up on one of the shelf brackets by the bed. With his leg propped up and it's comfortable light painting the room Alex almost felt content. 

<><><>

Zeb came to his door with a medical droid the next mourning after Alex had eaten. 

"I will need to see your injuries please," The droid said in a robotic monotone. Alex had been keeping it propped up, so he waved the droid forward. It started scanning and beeping, leaving Kallus to turn most of his attention to Zeb. 

"So you're still here," Kallus eyed the Lassat. The ship he was now on could have gone through several jumps while he was asleep and the Ghost could have left at any time. Seeing Zeb was... good. He hadn't expected to see him again any time soon if at all. 

"For the moment," Kanan and the kid took the Phantom and went to check some stuff out, so the rest of us are waiting for 'em to get back." Zeb streched, then bent to sit cross legged on the floor. 

Kallus nodded, "Well I'm glad you came to see me. I wanted to say thank you." The words came out stilted. He hadn't been planning on saying anything, and was feeling his way forward rather then planning anything. It felt odd. 

"For what? Not killing you?" Zeb showed off a taunting smile, full of teeth. In the past that smile had always made Kallus want to punch him in the face. Now Alex still wanted to grab hold of the Lassat and show him what was what but there was something else there too. 

"For the analysis," Alex said in a slow and deliberate voice that mocked Zeb's very existence. He waved at the meteor.

"Oh that, well, I was going to keep it for myself but I figured you might need it, not having a proper coat and all." Zeb rolled his shoulders and somehow made his fir ripple down his biceps. Kallus hummed and looked back at the medical droid. 

"Your leg has started to set. If you maintain the bacta treatment and it should heal without any residual damage. I recommend keeping it in the brace for two weeks and elevated whenever possible."

Kallus nodded, "I'll do my best considering the circumstances." It was suddenly hard to look at Zeb. 

"If you're hurting he can give you something for it," Zeb said. He had his hands on his knees and lines were wrinkling his forehead.

Kallus rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, "I'm fine."

Zeb snorted and pointed at the droid. "Give him some pills or something."

The droid whirred and looked back at Kallus.

"I'm fine," Kallus said more firmly. 

"You're not acting like yourself. if it's not pain, then what is it?" Zeb's voice was almost a growl. If he closed his eyes he could almost believe they were in a fight, except for his leg and the way they were sitting calmly instead of circling each other. In the end it was nothing like it. 

Kallus rubbed at his eyes, "I've been captured by the enemy being held prisoner without any knowledge of what you plan to do with me or even where I am. No guarantee that I'll see anyone I knew ever again. But putting aside all that you clearly know me so well that you'd be able to pick up on when I'm upset." He bit off the last word as the droid stuck a needle in his ankle. "Kriffing..." Alex breathed through his teeth and glared at the droid. 

"A mild pain reliever and muscle relaxant," the droid explained. It's face was as expressionless and any droid but it's tone was not impressed. 

Sure enough a cool numbness spread up his leg. It did feel better, not that he was going to admit it. 

The droid straightened. "Do you have need of any more assistance?" When Kallus shook his head it turned back to Zeb. "Unless you have any other tasks for me I will return to medical."

Zeb waved the droid off and it clanked away. Zeb had been muttering something under his breath in Lassan during the exchange, now huffed out a breath. "I told you we'd treat you fairly. I gave you my word."

"I know, and if this was somewhere else that would mean something, but these are hardly ideal circumstances. You are not in charge here and I am still a prisoner."

Zeb's scowl slowly faded. "Right. I guess they haven't decided what to do with you yet. Sorry." He scratched at the back of his head. It was Zeb's turn not to meet his eyes. 

"I guess you don't take prisoners too often," Alex allowed in a softer voice. 

Zeb barked out a laugh, "Practically never. Once we managed to capture this freighter. We thought everyone had gotten in the escape pod, but it turned out there was this Natoluan asleep in one of the cargo holds. Everyone got a surprise when he woke up and wandered up to the main area." Zeb chuckled to himself, and Alex couldn't help but smile with him.

Then Alex had a thought. " What did you do with him."

"Oh it turned out he'd been trying to get out of his contract for a while so we set him down on some backwater planet in the outer rim. I think he's still there, farming shrimp or something." Zeb scratched at his beard then shrugged. 

Well at least that explained the Togruta's comment.

"Are you allowed to answer my questions?" Kallus asked.

"Long as it's not classified or anything."

"The Togruta who spoke to me yesterday. She's a jedi isn't she."

Zeb leaned back and flicked his ears. "As much as Kanan or Ezra are, though she would probably have something to say about that."

"What's her name, or no, what can I call her? I doubt they'd want you to give me her full name and history."

Zeb paused, "I'm actually not sure if she'd prefer her name or her call sign. I can ask her if it matters..."

Kallus shrugged. "I figured she'd be one of the ones interrogating me, and I'd rather have a name then keep thinking of her as just 'that togruta'"

"Yeah..." Zeb's ears flicked forward again. "You know it's not going to be that kind of interrogation right? I mean sure they want to talk to you but it's not going to be..." Zeb clawed at the air as if trying to catch the word he wanted, or maybe as if he wanted to claw at the one word that he refused to say.

"Torture." Kallus said it for him. "We'll see."

"Karabast, what do I have to do to prove to you we aren't like that?" Zeb asked in a huff. 

"Well I'd be insulted if you just let me go. Would you prefer to be a respected enemy or a lucky fool?" Kallus put on his best inner rim sneer. He was the center of Zeb's attention now just like when they fought. It probably said something that that was what he preferred.

Zeb got to his feet, leaning over him, and filling the space. Alex's pulse sped up even though there was nothing to be done. He'd be able to put up a fight if Zeb decided to make it one, but his injury would lead to a loss one way or another. Even so, the thrill was there and he bares his teeth, not giving an inch. 

"Karabast you're--" Zeb seems to lose his words again, and ended up turning, leaning his fist against the doorframe. He sucked in a breath and let it out in a huff. "You are really something else."

"Glad I could exceed your expectations." Kallus had been trying to set the barb, but this was more of a reaction then he'd expected. He watched the play of fir and muscles across Zeb's back, waiting for some que as to which direction the conversation would take next. 

In the end it was Zeb's com that broke the silence. Zeb glanced down at it and all of a sudden he slumped a little. "I've got to deal with that, but I'll see you later, yeah?" 

Kallus nodded, "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Zeb grinned at that and palmed open the door to leave. When it had closed behind him, Alex let himself flop onto his back on the bed, hands behind his head. There was still the possibility that the higher up Rebels would send Zeb away, but even if that was the case, Zeb had said he'd be back. That kind of think mattered to him, so Alex chose to trust it. 

Trusting a Rebel. Maybe he really had fallen. He could dress it up in words like observation and character profiles, but in the end it was trust. Then again, that trust had already gotten him off an ice moon so maybe it wasn't so strange. 

<><><>

The Togruta came to visit later that day. She asked that he put on a set of binders and escorted him along an empty corridor to a room with a small table. If he had to guess it had been a private office or conference room that had been stripped to serve this new purpose, much like his quarters. She gestured him to sit, then magnetized the cuff to the table in front of him. Quietly testing the connection proved that it may have been makeshift, but that didn't mean it wasn't solid. 

Well it wasn't as if he hadn't been expected this.

The Togruta sat down across from him and keyed a code into the table. "Debrief of Captured Empire ISB agent Alexsandr Kallus recorded 9-21-7973. Interview administered by Agent Fulcrum," She said. 

So they were recording this interview. It would likely be analyzed for anybody language and micro-expressions. On the other hand that meant he probably wasn't going to be tortured, though drugs still weren't off the table. And he had a name for his interrogator. Always better to have a name for them, it provided a focus for the anger and hatred that would inevitably follow. 

Fulcrum folded her hands on the table. "Would you prefer to be called Agent Kallus or something else?"

Alex settled in, building up his inner shields. The first few questions would be easy and simple, to establish a baseline, but there were things he could do to throw that off. He curled, his hands together digging his nails into the recently healed skin of his wrist. His pulse jumped with the pain. Kallus used that moment to speak.

"Agent Kallus is fine."

Fulcrum frowned. Right she was a Jedi. How much could she sense? He'd have to be careful.

"Alright Agent Kallus. We have a report from Spectre 4, of your time on Bahryn. I'd like to make sure there aren't any details missing." She pulled up the relevant file. and started going through the events point by point. She asked for clarification multiple times, and each time he gave short answers without elaborating on his personal thought process. He didn't trigger the pain with every question, just often enough to throw off any sensors they might have pointed at him.

Eventually Fulcrum set the report aside, thank you for that. I do have some other questions for you if you're up to it. I know you are still injured."

He was, and there was the constant ache hovering in the background but it wasn't like his cell would be any better. He shrugged.

"Alright then. You've been based on Lothal for some time. Can you tell me about the imperial facilities there."

Open ended and casual, he could tell her anything or nothing. Maybe the more pointed questions would come later. Surely they had enough of a baseline by that point...

"All the imperial facilities are centered in the capital. Not much more to say. Troopers weren't my department." He lifted his shoulder again.

Fulcrum looked at him calmly but unlike with the earlier report she didn't move to record the statement. "I'd appreciate the truth if you wouldn't mind."

Kallus smoothed out the instinctive frown that crossed his face. "Excuse me?"

"The truth," she repeated, and while her words were casual, there was a light in her eyes, an intensity to her gaze. So that's why it was a jedi interrogating him. He wondered if Jarrus had the same skill.

Not all of what he'd said had been a lie. The main facility was centered in the capital. That much was easilly proven or disproven so there was no point in lying about it. Technically there were regular patrols and a few orbiting stations that kept an eye on the resto of the planet particularly the secondary continent. The real lie however had been that he didn't have anything else to say. It was true that he wasn't in charge of the troopers, but he'd done several detailed audits when trying to root out rebellious factors. 

Fulcrum was still waiting so the ball was in his court. How he responded would determine how the rest of this interview went. He could stonewall her. say he didn't know what she meant and do his best to make the lie his personal truth. He could bend and say that he had picked up a few things here and there. He could even say that none of it was first hand, which was true. he hadn't seen any of the facilities he'd audited. Most of that time he'd just been sitting at a desk looking through sheets of numbers.

The third option was to lay out the truth in as bare bones a way as he could. His truth. The truth that could kill him depending on what he said next. 

"They'll kill me."

"Who will," She asked keeping her voice soft.

"If an ISB agent is found to have been corrupted or turned they are sent to CorSec on imperial center. There is a special branch of the inquisitors wholly dedicated and trained to pull facts and memories out of people's heads. The result - when the person in question doesn't die - is closer to a vegetable then a sentient." That was truth. He'd seen it. Not the actual process but the inquisitor in question, and the results being carted away. They'd tossed the body into the incinerator without bothering to check if it was dead. 

"We'd heard rumors of inquisitors with dark talents..." Fulcrum was staring at the wall as if she could see through it. He wondered what reports she was going over in her head.

"They're not just rumors, though since I'm not force sensitive, you can understand why I don't know any of the techniques." There was an itch under Kallus's skin, the need to get up and pace. He wouldn't have let himself even if he wasn't cuffed to the table. That would give too much away. As it was he had trouble not shifting in his seat. 

"What have you seen?"

Another open question asked in a tone that could almost be called kind if her eyes weren't so focused. 

"I..." He turned his hands over and looked at them. The red marks on his wrist stood out sharply where he'd been pressing on them. 

That wasn't a story he'd ever told before. Not because it was particularly gruesome, but because it wasn't. It had been just another day in a series of strenuous training courses. Yularen had encouraged him to take an interest. He'd approved when Kallus hadn't turned away. 

"Have you ever been to Coruscant?" He asked distantly.

"I have, some time ago."

Kallus nodded. "I was in my teens during the clone wars. I have a very clear memory of the first time the clone army landed and was presented to the senate. All that white armor standing in ranks. I remember thinking that nothing could stop an army like that. They were the best. Trained to go beyond perfection. There were demonstration vids that went around. Pure propaganda of course but still impressive. Training exercises where a squad of Clones would seamlessly, effortlessly take down their targets. 

"Those first years of the war that was all we knew. Then things started changing. The first I really noticed it was the -- I think they called it the Zillo beast. The reports all gloss over what it destroyed and the locals were lucky that it was an industrial area, but Coruscant is a city. There are no unpopulated areas. 

"I remember flying past and seeing the cloud of smoke. I remember traffic getting rerouted until it was gridlocked. I sat there and watched a living creature tear down buildings. There were three members of my class that didn't come in the next day and no one questioned it. The news cycles all said that the Jedi had brought the creature in to study it. They had thought it was safe.

"How could anything like that be safe?"

Kallus looked up and met Fulcrum's eyes. she mirrored him across the table, hands clasped in front of her. Jedi or not she didn't offer any justification. There was an old emotion hidden behind her mask. He almost wished he had her powers of empathy, just so he'd know what it was.

"Planets like Alderaan and Lothal never saw combat. People there talk about the war like it didn't happen in living memory. When I came of age there were bomb threats every week. People were stopped on the street. You had to go through scanners just to use the public lifts between levels. We all knew that the troopers were created for that level of security. They didn't know any better, but the Jedi? They'd just wave a hand and the local authorities would either bend over backward or get steamrolled. They were allowed to walk right into the senate without even giving up their lightsabers.

"It was all for the safety of the people. That's what everyone said at least. I don't know what I believed back then." Kallus sounded tired even to his own ears. Why was he telling her all this? Right, because of the Jedi. He let out a breath and went to run a hand over his face. The cuffs stopped the motion before it got started.

There was calculation in Fulcrum's gaze. She bit her lip. He expected her to ask a question, maybe about his childhood or maybe about his training. In the end she stayed quiet so maybe she had more training in interrogation then he'd guessed. If a prisoner was talking you didn't stop them, even if it seemed off topic. There were always insights you could learn about how someone thought or what they cared about. On that note - he should make his point.

"I lost half my family when Count Duku - a former Jedi - dropped a star destroyer on Coruscant. Then less then twenty days later the universe learned that the Jedi were traitors. They'd tried to kill the emperor and nearly succeeded. Only the quick actions of the clones prevented a massacre. They were our weapon. They proved they were smarter then the droid enemies and their own leaders. They stopped the war in one masterstroke. 

"Plenty of people congratulated the clones or the emperor, but the way I saw it, If they had known from the start... If the Jedi had never been put in command... How many lives would have been saved? That information could have changed the whole course of the war. That's why I joined the ISB."

He met Fulcrum's eyes and made sure she was paying attention to every word. "If the information the inquisitor's gather can save lives, then one dead rebel is a fair price."

He could tell that his words had affected her. The way she'd drawn herself up and back, keeping her face in an expressionless mask may not have shown her thoughts, but it did show that she was shielding her emotions. To her credit she didn't lash out, either verbally or physically. Given how much anger and pain in his history was directed at the Jedi he'd been prepared for it. Furthermore she would know that all of it was true, at least if she hadn't been bluffing earlier. 

Fulcrum let out a slow breath. "I'm sorry there is so much pain in your past. If I could go back there are certainly things that I would change, but i must disagree with your final conclusion." She met his eyes. Now the tables had been reversed. It was his turn to wait for her to go on. Take the cuffs out of the picture and he was the one pressing her... Or was that an illusion too? 

"The life of one Rebel would be worth the lives of innocents." She mulled over the words. "If you spoke to me openly and then returned to the Empire they would brand you as a rebel, and so it would be your life forfeit." She said bringing the conversation back to where it had begun. "In other circumstances if anyone on this ship were to be captured, their life would be forfeit in exchange for any information that might be used in the protection of the innocent. That is the truth of the world as you have laid it out to me."

Silence. A tense balance between them. Each dared the other to break it, to back down.

"Let me ask you then: if it were for the sake of the innocent would you give your life? Would anyone in the Empire give their life?" The question hung in the air for a long minute before Fulcrum stood. "We're out of time for today. Since you dislike Jedi I'll ask someone else to continue tomorrow."

She demagnetized the table and led him back down the short corridor to his room, only unbinding his hands when they arrived. Kallus rubbed feeling back into his wrists as he watched the door shut behind her. It was unclear who exactly had won that round. He'd made an impression on her. He thought he'd turned the tables on her, but her final question stuck in his mind like a splinter.

Of course he would give his life if it meant the safety of the people he was fighting for. He wasn't some desk jockey. He'd gone into combat plenty of times. That was how he'd ended up here. But the way she'd said it... It hadn't sounded like she meant combat. 

It was part of the unwritten code that all troopers, were expected to give their lives if their orders required it. That was something that had been held over from the Clone Wars, where solders were far more disposable then experienced Generals. And yet according to his own logic, the Jedi generals had been at fault. 

Striping the question down: How many ISB agents, admirals and Moffs would actually lay down their lives for the people they lead? Admiral Yularen, his mentor and superior, had fought in the Clone Wars along side Anakin Skywalker - the only Jedi who was known to have defended the Emperor during the Jedi plot. Kallus had no doubt that Yularen would and had considered the cost of his own life against those of his men. 

Others... 

Admiral Thrawn was said to come up with crazy orders and plans that made no sense but there was still a waiting list to be transferred to his command. The numbers of casualties in battles he led was markedly lower then other admirals. Grand Moff Tarkin... Kallus only knew the man by reputation. He was said to be shrewd and calculating, extremely intelligent. Not self-sacrificing. They were some of the best the Empire had to offer.

Others...

Growing up on Coruscant, Kallus knew how often people stabbed each other in the back for even the idea of an advantage. People with ideals didn't get far, not unless someone else was using them. Governor Pryce was like that. She was ruthless when it came to gaining and keeping power, to the point where she was stripping her own planet of its resources in order to gain favor. 

As a high ranking member of ISB Kallus was in a position to know how deep the stain went. On his good days Kallus liked it that way. Better that he was able to see the rot, root it out, use it. 

Today was not a good day.

Kallus stretched and exercised as much as he could in the limited space. He cleaned himself up, turned down the lights and got into bed, and still the argument circled in his mind. 

He didn't get a lot of sleep that night. 

<><><>

Zeb came to visit after breakfast again, this time without the medical droid. Alex had just finished his morning rations and was considering what he wanted to listen to when the door chimed. Zeb was dressed down in just his under-suit and for a moment Alex found it hard to breath. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. Was this a show of trust? Was it a conscious decision or had Zeb been working out and just decided not to suit up fully before he stopped by? Alex fixed his gaze on the borifle in Zeb's hands just for something to look at. 

"Wait, is that my rifle?" The words spilled out before Alex thought about them. Of course it was his rifle. The question was, why was Zeb bringing it to him.

"Heh, yeah, no power pack though, so don't get any ideas."

Alex crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "That's a weapon whether it can be fired or not and you should know that better then anyone else on this ship." The banter made it easier. it was possibly the only normal thing he had left.

"Well yeah but how am I supposed to ask you about the upgrades you made without it?" Zeb slumped into a cross legged position on the floor like he had the day before. He unfolded the rifle locking the stock into place to protect the barrel. "You've replaced some of the parts."

Alex shrugged. "The originals were made of wood, sturdy enough but not what I wanted if I was going to be using it in a fight."

"If it was made properly it would have lasted as long as steel, lighter too."

"A heavier weapon means more weight behind your strike. Since you're the one I most often fought I needed every advantage I could get."

Zeb looked up with that sly grin on his face, "Careful, that almost sounded like a compliment."

[ art by elleTchj ]

Alex leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You know I respect you as a fighter. Just because we're not on the same side doesn't change your skill level. Careful, you need to flip the latch at the end to unlock the hinge."

Zeb paused in his examination of the weapon. "Where? Oh I see." He unlatched the clip and refolded the rifle. "Huh, seems complicated."

Alex rolled his eyes, "Pass it over. I'll show you." 

Zeb shifted, rotating the weapon to pass it over without pointing it at either of them. The respectful, almost formal act reinforced the knowledge that he was technically a prisoner. Zeb was trusting him, not to attack, not to try to escape. 

Alex focused on the weapon. He sat up on his bed, keeping his leg outstretched, but otherwise sat up. He checked the weapon over by habit, noting the missing power pack. 

He pulled the butt of the rifle into his shoulder sighting on the fresher door. Then spun it around, unclipping the stock so it snapped into place as he moved. He couldn't do it properly sitting as he was, but Zeb seemed to get the idea. 

"Huh," Zeb got to his feet and held out a hand for the weapon. Alex considered the lassat, then turned the weapon over passing it back with the same solemnity Zeb had offered. 

Zeb Nodded as he took the rifle back. He refolded the weapon, sighted on the wall, then copied Alex's move to twist it open. The room was barely big enough for it.

"It might take an extra second to refold it, but you can still fire it when unfolded and in my experience going from long range to short range is more important."

"Don't face too many people who run away?" Zeb asked, studying the weapon again, turning it over in his hands.

"They're not the ones I generally have to worry about." Alex said and he eased back, lifting his leg back onto the bed. 

"Guess not," Zeb refolded the rifle. "Most imperials don't think about fighting at close range."

"Are you saying you think I'm just another imperial?" Alex lifted an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what he expected. The comment hit a little too close to his thoughts from the night before.

"Na, you're way more of a pain in the ass then most bucket heads." He propped the weapon on his shoulder, and scratched his chin. "You feeling alright?"

Alex shrugged. "My leg is healing. I had an interesting conversation with Fulcrum yesterday. I'm missing out on the new episodes of my holodramas."

"You don't watch holodramas." Zeb squinted at him.

"I might."

Zeb slung the borifle across his back and sat back down. He leaned forward, his hands planted on his knees. "Prove it then, which ones?"

"Most recently... Mon Cala Mysteries."

Zeb hummed. "Better then some housewives thing at least. Any good?"

"Some episodes are better then others. They have absolutely no idea how crime actually works, but that's to be expected." He thought back through a few of the episodes he'd seen. "Actually there was decent sub-plot last season." When Zeb lifted an eyebrow he went on, describing the events with his hands weaving through the air. The conversation drifted from there, mostly keeping to casual topics, vids and music. 

It was a good morning as things went, and he was sorry when Zeb checked the time and said he had to leave. His mood only dropped further when an old mandalorian came to escort him to his next interrogation.

Kallus let the man attach his cuff to the interrogation room table. He rolled his shoulders and settled in. Fulcrum's approach had been a bit unorthodox but he suspected this man would be closer to what he expected. At least today he wouldn't have to deal with a jedi's powers. 

The man spent the first few minutes scrolling through a file. Kallus let the silence drag on. Eventually the man grunted to himself and leaned back, crossing his arms. "So what's your plan?"

"Excuse me?"

He looked Kallus over. "We don't do torture, and you're trained to withstand it in any case, so there's no point. You either tell us what you know or you don't."

Kallus lifted an eyebrow, then nodded. "I guess that's accurate."

"So what are you going to do? What's your plan?"

Kallus stayed silent. He hadn't really come up with a plan. He didn't have enough information to escape, and he was at a disadvantage until his leg healed. For now his plan was to wait. Not that he was going to say as much. 

The mandalorian scratched at his beard. "According to this you were trained by Yularen. I served with Yularen in the war. I know his style. May not agree with his current choices, but that's something else. Point is, he wouldn't take someone on, who didn't have a brain in his head."

Kallus leaned back as far as the cuffs allowed and studied the man in front of him. The man was old, had to be in his 60s but he was still fit. He wore his armor well and it had clearly seen use. The white had been scratched up and worn down in multiple places. Even then the blue paint still came through in places. It was the blue of the 501st. The man across from him wasn't just a mandalorian, he was a clone.

"What's your name?" Kallus asked, pleased that his voice was steady.

"Rex, though you're probably thinking of CT-7567. I was a captain and commander in the 501st until the end of the clone war." Rex watched him, letting him absorb this new information. So if he didn't have to deal with a Jedi, Fulcrum had sent a clone in her place. He shouldn't have said anything the day before. 

Rex waited. When it was clear that Kallus wasn't going to say anything he shrugged. "I watched your chat with Fulcrum yesterday." He paused for a reaction. Kallus curled his toes in his boots, not giving him one. He shrugged again.

"You talked about the clones stopping the Jedi, about our quick thinking. I thought I might give you some more information on that little series of events." He cleared his throat, and took a breath. "My people refer to it as Order 66. See, it wasn't that the Jedi had a plot that we discovered at the last minute. The Jedi might not have been making the best decisions there at the end but the whole treason thing was pure propaganda. 

"I was coming back from Mandalor at the time, escorting a sith prisoner. With Dooku dead and Grievous cornered, we thought the war was almost over. Then we get a call from command. I figured it was about the prisoner, not that it would have mattered. The message was from the supreme chancellor. He wasn't the emperor yet. It was four words long. "Execute order sixty-six.

“I was working with Fulkrum, and she came in saying she sensed something wrong. I didn't want to hurt her. I knew her. I'd watched her grow up. I knew how much she argued with the other Jedi, how much she valued the men and how much we all respected her. That didn't stop my body from turning around and shooting at her. I could barely talk, babbling out a handful of words, before she force shoved me back out of her way."

The old man stopped to breathe. He had his elbows on the table. Ran one hand over his shaved head, rubbed the back of his neck before he braced himself and sat up.

"I gave orders to kill her, and to kill any of my brothers who tried to help her. Then I went hunting. I knew her better than anyone on the ship. A part of me thought that if anyone could find her I could. Looking back, they were all my thoughts, but twisted. It was my blaster, my finger on the trigger, but someone else was choosing the targets. I've heard a lot of crappy orders in my time. This wasn't that. Order 66 wasn't about trusting that your superiors weren't wasting your life. It was..."

He broke off and shook his head. 

"Fulcrum found out there was a chip in my head, and removed it. Only after it was gone could I think straight again. I had to fight though my own brothers as we crashed into a moon. I barely made it out. I could sit here and list out the names of every brother I helped bury that day, and we'd still be here this time tomorrow."

"You're lying," Kallus said. To be honest he wasn't sure if it was true or not. The man, Rex, seemed to have some genuine emotion when talking about the events, but for all he knew Rex could be a good actor. It wasn't like Kallus had any way to verify the information. 

Rex met his eyes for a long minute, then shrugged. "I'm not but there's no way to change your mind if you're too blind to see the truth. I've seen a lot of fanatic's in my time. You don't strike me as one of them, but I could be wrong."

Kallus frowned as Rex let the silence stretch again.

"Why are you here? What's your plan?" Kallus asked. When in doubt turn the question back.

"Depends on what you mean by here. This ship... It's where I was stationed. I'm currently assisting Fulcrum. The rebellion... Well I technically went against orders during order 66. Not like the Empire has treated my brothers well in the last decade. From what I've heard a lot of them have been violently decommissioned."

Well, he wasn't wrong. There was a certain stigma against clones. Kallus had never agreed with it, but in a way he understood it. There were a lot of planets that had been separatist-allied, or separatist-occupied, and had clones invade. It was easy to take the residual rage out on the survivors. That wasn't even taking into account the discrimination with promotion. 

"I tried retiring for a while, but it wasn't as relaxing as I'd hoped. Even on the good days I always wondered what was happening out here."

Kallus picked at the bed of his nails. It was hard to look at Rex. There were things he would have said in other circumstances, if there weren't cameras and expectations, bearing down on them. 

"Fulcrum asked if I'd ever considered retiring to become a farmer. I told her I wasn't interested. I know it would be the simplest solution for your people, but..." He shook his head.

"That's fair. You didn't answer my earlier question; what's your plan?"

Kallus watched Rex. It didn't look like he was going to retract the question. He might even expect an honest answer. 

"My last plan was to lure the Ghost crew into a trap, capture them, and hand them over to the ISB. We both know how that ended. This time..." Alex shrugged. If they accepted it was the truth, that was fine. If they decided he was trying to fool them they'd only chase their tails trying to find something that wasn't there. 

"Well, let me know if you figure anything out."

"We'll see."

Rex took him back to his room, and he spent the rest of the afternoon lying on his bed listening to music that had been created before he was born.

<><><>

Kallus was woken out of a light doze when the alarm sounded in the corridor, and the hum of the engines changed. There was nothing he could do, practically speaking. Still he got dressed, made sure the splint on his leg was firmly in place and watched the door for any sign of what was happening. 

The ship shook once, then twice. They were moving, or at least the engines were on full, but they hadn't jumped to hyperspace yet. Why? If they were fighting the empire, then their traditionally first tactic was to run. Which had to mean they couldn't for some reason.

There was a chance the Empire would board the ship and find him. If that happened he'd likely be returned to service, possibly after a lengthy debrief where they were assured he hadn't told the rebels anything of importance. The fact he was locked up would support his story. They would likely execute everyone else on board. 

He wondered if Rex was still on the ship. If Zeb was on the ship...

It was more likely that the Empire would blow the ship out of the sky. The alarms going off so far only seemed to indicate a battle. Any minute they could switch to an evacuation signal. If that happened, would he be able to get out? Would someone come to escort him to an escape pod or would they forget him in the panic?

Zeb wouldn't forget him, if he was still on board... If he was still alive. He didn't think Fulcrum or Rex would forget him exactly, but they'd likely be busy with other things. He had no proof that anyone else even knew he was there. 

His eyes trained on the door latch, waiting for hit to flicker open. For the first time he contemplated trying to break it, trying to properly escape. If he did, then even if the rebels managed to get away he might make it back to the empire. Would they believe him if he said he'd been a prisoner, and only just escaped? If they boarded and he was out of his room they'd shoot him before even thinking about asking questions. 

Zeb was a good fighter. Rex and Fulcrum had to be as well, even if he hadn't faced them personally. The whole Ghost crew was impressive. They'd defeated him so many times, surely this wouldn't be the time they slipped. Surely they wouldn't fall while he was sitting here watching that blasted little red light, and hearing alarms in the distance. 

Stars, he wanted to know what was happening. His mind kept going over the possibilities, each as unlikely as the next. An imagination was a truely terrible thing.

The light for the door stayed red. The ship shook again. Something squeezed around his chest.

Why was this happening now? He hadn't thought the Empire was so close to catching the Rebels. When he'd been captured he'd assumed he'd end up on a base somewhere. not a ship, and even when he'd been put on this ship, he'd assumed it would be well hidden. Maybe they didn't care about prisoners lives? It had become clear the last few days that they didn't think they'd get anything out of him.

No, he had a hard time believing that. However idealistic and misguided they were, they did care about people's lives. That had been proven again and again, from Tarken town to his own situation...

Alex let out a breath. His head fell forward into his hands and he tangled his fingers in his hair. 

He didn't want the empire to win this battle. Part of it was for his own sake, yes, but there was something else there too. His emotions were screaming that this wasn't a fair fight, even if he couldn't possibly know that. Even if stacking the deck in your favor was basic tactics. 

He told himself it was just because he couldn't do anything to affect the outcome. He'd always hated not being able to control his own fate. 

The ship shook. He closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to look at that light. It seemed like forever before she felt the change in vibration under him that signaled they had jumped to hyperspace. 

His morning meal was delivered by the usual droid a few hours later. 

Zeb did not come to visit him. 

Time stretched on. He wasn't all that surprised when no one came to interrogate him. They clearly had other things to deal with. He found a music channel that let him keep track of time and did sit-ups and stretches until his muscles were aching. His second meal of the day was delivered without news of anything that had happened outside. He ate without tasting his meal. Even working himself until he was exhausted he had a hard time falling asleep that night. 

<><><>

"Zeb!" 

Alex started to his feet. His leg complained but he ignored it, crossing the room. He squeezed Zeb's shoulders, holding him at arms length to look him over. He couldn't see any injuries, but that didn't mean much, he could have been in and out of Bacta overnight.

"Hey," Zeb smiled and brought up a hand to cup Alex's neck. 

Alex slumped forward until their foreheads were pressed together. "Hey."

"Guess you were worried about me?"

Alex took a slow breath, then straightened and raised an eyebrow. "Well it's not like I had any idea of what happened or who was involved, given the total information blackout in here."

Zeb nodded, turned and slumped onto the bed. "Yeah, yesterday was... Well I can't really call it a mess because it actually went pretty well all things considered. Still it wasn't exactly planned, and anything with that little prep time is..." He shrugged, and waved it away. "We all came out alright."

"I see," I knot eased in his chest. Alex didn't let himself think about what that might mean. How much he had already given away...

Alex let himself sink down to sit beside Zeb. "Do you want to talk about it? If you're allowed to..."

Zeb sighed. "I don't think I'm allowed."

Alex could feel the fir on Zeb's arm brush against his side. He wanted to reach out, and take Zeb's hand, give him that little comfort even if he couldn't do anything of substance. 

"Zeb, I realize this is probably not a fair question, but... Why have you been coming to see me?"

Zeb looked up, ears flicking in some tell Alex couldn't read. "What do you mean? I'm the one who brought you in, of course I'm going to come see you."

"So someone else would do the same if I'd been captured by Fulcrum or..." Alex waved a hand. "Is it part of your protocol?"

"What? No, it's just. I just felt like it. I thought you wanted me to, and after Geonosis..." His face flicked through several emotions, ending on what might have been frustration.

Alex leaned back against the wall. "My leg will be healed in another two or three days. After that... I was thinking of taking Fulcrum up on her offer of retirement."

Zeb twisted, trying to look at him properly, but Alex refused to meet his eyes. "Why? I thought you-- I mean where would you even go? Everyone would think you're dead."

So Zeb had watched the interviews. Well Alex couldn't blame him. "My family might as well think I'm dead already. I started distancing myself from them when I became an ISB agent. I didn't want them to be targeted. As for any friends and acquaintances. They're part of the empire. Considering I was lost in action they might have already marked me down as dead. If I'm merely MIA they'll switch me over to the KIA list if I fail to report in within two weeks, well, closer to a week now. We both know the Resistance isn't going to just let me go in that time."

Zeb ran a hand over his head. "Well no, but come on. That doesn't mean you have to just leave. Hightail it to some backwater moon and maroon yourself there."

Alex closed his eyes, and sighed. "What then? Sit around and deal with these ineffectual interrogations every day or so? It won't be long before whatever I know will be out of date. Then what? Maybe they'll let me out to spar with you every so often? I'm not some pet to be kept in a box."

"No of course not. You're-- Karabast. They just don't know you. They'll come around, and once we get this new base set up we can--" Zeb caught himself and winced. 

The thing was, Alex didn't even care about the slip. He knew he wasn't going to be able to use the knowledge. 

Alex shook his head. "I can't have another day like yesterday. I'd rather have no control over the greater universe, but complete control over my own life." If nothing else he was certain of that. 

Zeb slumped, "I guess I can't blame ya'."

They were both silent for a long time. Eventually Alex reached out and took Zeb's hand again. Zeb slumped sideways to rest against him. Alex wished they had a holo to not really watch, just as an excuse to keep Zeb around for a little longer. 

<><><>

Fulcrum escorted the medical droid into his room the next morning. She stood by the door as the droid checked him over, and pronounced his leg fit enough to to move forward. After puttering about the droid left, taking the cast with it.

"You want to retire?" Fulcrum asked.

Kallus stood and tested his leg. It was still weak, but there wasn't any pain. He focused on that as he answered. "Were you watching or did Zeb tell you?"

"Zeb."

Alex hummed, "Well As I told him. I'd rather be the captain of my own fate then be locked up in this ship."

Fulcrum nodded, but didn't move. Eventually Alex looked up.

"There's a slight problem."

Alex sighed, "Of course there is."

"We're in the middle of changing bases at the moment and we need to find a good planet to drop you on where you wont die or be killed in the first day."

"The latter would be appreciated," Kallus answered dryly.

"I figured," Fulcrum said. "So I'm here to offer you parole. You give me your word that you wont try to escape or contact the empire or anything similar. We attach you with a monitoring anklet that will stun you, to keep you honest. After that you'll be allowed a certain amount of freedom."

Alex studied her side on. "Elaborate on freedom."

"You'll be transferred to our new base, planet-side. We're still setting setting up all the pre-fab buildings. You'll be allowed in all the common areas but will not have access to certain areas such as communications or the landing platform. You'll be required to check in at least once a day with either myself, or another designated officer."

"My quarters?" So far it wasn't a bad deal as a stopgap.

"You'll have private quarters, at least once we have enough pre-fab set up. You're welcome to help with that and other general staff tasks to make everything go faster."

Alex turned and looked at the meteorite still perched on it's latch over his bed. "I have one request."

"Oh?"

He took the rock down, holding it close. It was the only thing in the room he truly wanted to keep.

"Can you have Zeb be one of my patrol officers?"

Fulcrum nodded slowly. "When he is on base, yes that can be arranged."

Alex nodded, "Then you have my word."

Fulcrum nodded. "I'll see to it that you're on the next shuttle."

It took some time to get him down to the planet. He had to wait in his room until the shuttle was ready, then the blast helmet came back. He heard murmurs from the other occupants but the presence of Fulcrum kept them to a distant background. Outside the sound of the shuttle shifted as it entered the atmosphere. Then they landed and the door opened. Alex took in his first breath of unrecycled air since Bahryn. This time the air was warm and dusty. It smelled like clay and and something old. 

Fulcrum took his elbow and escorted him down the boarding ramp. Only then was he allowed to remove the helmet. 

They were in the shade of a large pre-fab building. A stretch of flat ground had been cleared to form a landing area. The ship they'd come down on was already taking off again. The people who came down with them faded off to their various tasks. 

Fulcrum held out her hand, "The helmet?" He passed it over to her. She passed him a stun link instead. Alex looked it over and sighed. Well, he had agreed. He considered his options, then bent and clicked the stun link into place around his ankle. 

"Good enough?"

Fulcrum nodded. "Would you like to see where you'll be staying?"

Alex gestured for her to take the lead.

<><><>

It was clear that most of the rebels didn't know who he was. They nodded to him, friendly enough as they went about their tasks. Kallus submitted a request for the furniture he would need in the newly erected building. He asked for a few more sets of clothing. He asked what he could do to help. He shifted boxes most of the afternoon under the oversight of a particularly dry former imperial inventory droid

People seemed to come and go often as this new base got set up. There were a few people everyone knew and he wasn't surprised to learn that Hera was one of them. Apparently she was a general, which his former team either hadn't been aware of or it was a recent development. Alex heard that she and the rest of the Ghost crew were getting things set up and shuttling things and people down to the surface. He didn't seek them out. The weight of the new ankle monitor was heavy under his boot.

His first meal in company was a quiet one. There weren't proper shifts yet so people wondered in and out when they were free. No one sat with him, but at least the large open room was full of a comforting background murmur. The fact that it was actual cooked food rather then ration bars helped. 

The night fell early on this planet wherever it was. The smaller yellow star had set leaving the larger red star sitting on the horizon and painting the sky. He watched it for a minute or two before slipping back to his assigned bunk. Laying there with only the light of the light from his meteorite, listening to the shuffling as the others in the bunk room settled in their sleep, Alex wondered how long this would be his life?

He would be here on this rebel base for a while. Then He would go to some unknown planet, where he'd try to blend in with the locals, maybe find a job. He wasn't any good at fixing things so it would have to be menial labor or maybe guarding or protecting something. He was fit at least, and knew how to fight. Eventually whatever community that took him in would become his. He'd become another known face, even if he never told anyone his history. There would be drinks after long days working. There would be jokes and references outsiders wouldn't know. Eventually he'd grow old. 

Alex tried to imagine someone standing beside him in that future. A woman with a no nonsense tilt to her head or a man who would slap him on the back and rest his hand on Alex's shoulder. He couldn't see their face. 

That was the future he'd chosen, and yet it didn't seem real. He'd build his whole life on the idea that his actions could make a difference, could tilt the balance in the right direction. Abandoning that...

Alex sighed, rolled out of bed and pulled on the coat they'd issued him. The nights on this planet weren't freezing but there was still a chill in the air as he made his way outside. They hadn't set up any kind of gym or training areas yet, so he walked the perimeter. There were sensors set up every fifty yards or so. Their lights blinked as he walked from one to the next to the next. 

Planting his feet in the loose soil he hiked up to the top of the ridge. His ankle monitor buzzed a warning but he was still within the perimeter. The base and the area in front of it where the shuttles were parked were the only sources of light other then the moon and stars. He looked up at the unfamiliar constellations and considered screaming. Yelling all his anguish and uncertainty out into the void. He'd never been the type to do that thing before but then, he'd never been in a situation like this before.

Alex breathed in, filling his lungs until they hurt. Then he breathed out, slowly until there was nothing left. He slumped down to sit on the rough ground. His back wasn't quite leaning against the nearest sensor. He propped his arms on his knees and rested his forehead on his folded hands. The sounds of the dark crept in. Something moved in the distance. The generators from the base hummed. The wind curled around the rocks. The air of this planet was drier then he was used to. It made the tears that dripped from his lashes sting just slightly.

Alex let the tears fall, let them empty him, like his breath. He sat there for a long time, until the moons had shifted in the sky and he'd grown cold and stiff even with the jacket. Putting himself back together took a long time. He couldn't seem to find half the pieces. 

When Alex eventually stood, he felt off-balance. The soil he'd been sitting on shifted, sending a small scattering of pebbles down the slope. His eyes followed them. There was a figure down there, backlit with broad shoulders. They lifted a weapon.

"Come down from there. Slowly."

Alex recognized the voice. Zeb. Alex hadn't thought he was here at the moment. The Ghost wasn't one of the ships in the landing area. Zeb took a step forward, a growl slipping through the night air. It was so familiar and so different from all the times they'd met before.

Alex lifted his hands, half to show he was unarmed and half to keep his balance as he slowly made his way down the slope. "Easy, it's me."

Zeb flicked his ears, and a few steps later he lowered his borifle. "Karabast Kal, you need to be more careful. I could have shot you."

All the times that Zeb had tried to shoot him flicked through his mind, but that wasn't what he got stuck on.

"Kal?"

Zeb ducked his head, using the action of holstering his borifle to hide any awkwardness. "Well yeah, I mean. I guess. I don't actually know your first name and it's not like I'm gonna call you agent anymore."

"It's Alex. Well, Alexsandr really but I go by Alex, with my friends..."

"May I...?"

Alex nodded, "Yes, right now... Right now you're the only one I'd... I'm not sure I have any other friends." He was looking at the ground when Zeb grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in. Zeb pressed his forehead against Alex's, hand cupping the back of his neck. 

"Ner sha colesh Alex."

"Zeb I... What does that mean." Alex pulled back enough that he could look at Zeb without going cross-eyed.

"Nothing, Just an old greeting." Zeb pulled back and turned toward the base. He wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders pulling him along. "What were you doing out there anyway? It' the middle of night shift. I didn't think humans were nocturnal."

Alex bumped his shoulder into Zeb on his next step and then stayed there. The warmth and strength of the other man was comfortable, and it had been a long few days. By the time Zeb pushed him in the direction of a bed, Alex was more then happy to fall into it. 

  
  


<><><>

Alex woke comfortably. He was warm. He knew he was safe. He felt both lighter and heavier then normal, like was weighed down but still utterly relaxed. There was a wonderful smell all around him. Low, dusty, smoky, and wonderfully masculine. Apparently he'd had a good night. Alex couldn't remember the last time he'd managed to get off base to find someone, all that planning for...

Bahryn. 

The haze of sleep was suddenly gone as the last few days replayed in his memory. Sitting up, Alex found he had been stripped of his boots and jacket, but was otherwise clothed. His earlier thoughts mourned the lost possibilities. 

Oh. Possibilities with Zeb. Oh no, that wasn't good. 

He glanced around, assessing the room he'd been left in. It was small, barely a closet. Shipboard, or at least built like a ship, but there was no hum of an engine the ankle monitor hadn't stunned him so he had to still be near the Rebel base. There were a few reminders of his previous cell, but more details pushed those away. Two borifles, his and Zebs, hung on a rack by the door. There was an open spacer's chest with half a flight suit spilling out of it. A spare caf mug - empty - had been abandoned on a shelf. No chrono, and with the past few days his internal clock certainly wouldn't match up with the new base.

He was safe and alone, which meant he had the space needed to assess his new realization. Alex closed his eyes and tried to coax out the feelings that had emerged when he'd been on the edge of sleep.

He thought of Zeb. He thought of the night before when Zeb had thrown an arm around his shoulders. He thought of Zeb on the ice moon, huddling together to keep warm, and before that when Zeb had been looking at his borifle. He'd been proud - of earning the rifle, and that Zeb had noticed the changes he'd made. He went further back. He thought of their fights, the drive, the anger. The times Zeb had gotten an edge up on him, and forced him to the ground...

Blast.

He'd have realized it sooner if Zeb was human. Zeb was exactly his type when it came to men. Strong enough to stand up to him. Confident enough to push back. Unwilling to take his bullshit and observant enough to see when he needed help, even if he couldn't ask.

He was pretty sure this was Zeb's bed, a temporary one if not his bunk on the ghost. A bed that he'd slept in often enough that it smelled like him. A bed that Alex had been an inch away from rutting into before he'd come to his senses. 

Alex took a breath. Alright, this was a new piece of information, but now that he was consciously aware of it he could factor it in, plan around it. He wouldn't be here long, a few weeks at most. Zeb didn't need to know. He would leave, retire to whatever planet the rebellion found for him. His crush would wither with the distance. No action needed. Zeb would just be a fond memory of something that might have been. 

Decision made, Alex stood. He slipped on his boots, shrugged on his jacket, then hesitated. The rifle was his. He didn't need a weapon, but it was his and he felt better with the weight of it slung across his back. Zeb would understand. If Fulcrum wanted to argue about it... Well it wasn't like they knew all the dangers of the local ecosystem. He took his borifle down from the hook and slung in over his shoulders. Then he went to find a fresher and a meal.

It turned out that Zeb, Rex and the rest of the Ghost crew had left to deal with some problem with the perimeter sensors. Zeb had been housed in a shuttle that needed repairs. It was a bit close to officer country for Kallus's taste. 

He went back to his own bunk, changed, freshened up, got some food. Eventually he found a group erecting pre-fab units and attached himself to them, doing what he was ordered. 

Moving helped. It was a wonderful distraction. 

They were on the edge of the new compound, pushing out the perimeter when he heard it. The scream had Kallus reaching for his borifle before he knew what was happening. Running around the new plastisteel wall they'd erected he saw a woman in a patched engineer suit scrabbling backwards. creatures with white shells and lots of legs advanced. More screams. Around him people were panicking, some went for weapons, others ran. No one was taking command. They needed someone to take command. Needed some semblance of order before people started dying.

"Move!" Kallus shouted as loud as he could. His borife came to his hand as easy as breathing. Two shots, three, four, in a tight burst. The creatures shrieked. The one he'd hit pulled back into its shell. A shell that was barely scuffed.

Someone else had a blaster out, firing at an angle to him. Kallus glanced in that direction. The girl was still on the ground. They weren't listening.

"You, help her into the building, barricade the door and call for help." He jabbed his finger at a Quaren who was hesitating.

"Right, yes sir."

That seemed to do it. The Quaren got the woman on her feet and they fell back. Two others had blasters out and managed to cover their retreat. Kallus fired off another wave of shots, trying to buy time. 

"Form a line, push them back," he yelled. They didn't have cover. The best thing to do was stand together otherwise they'd be outflanked. Except these people hadn't been trained as a unit, and it showed.

Each of them were making their shots, but none of them were calling their targets or working to create a volley. It might have worked if the spider creatures were actually being injured, but since that wasn't the case--

Alex gave up firing, flipping his rifle around and locking it into close quarters position. Keeping his eyes on the creatures, he moved across to the nearest rebel.

"Go, cover the retreat," Kallus shouted, shoving the man in the shoulder. The man's shot went wild and he started to say something but Kallus shoved him again and kept going.

"Pull back to cover." he called over and over until people actually started doing it. 

There was a wall of spiders on the ridge now, but they didn't seem eager to come down into the valley. Was it something about the compound itself? How intelligent were these creatures. His stomach tried to knot at the thought they might be sentient, but he pushed it down. Survival first. 

There was a thrum behind him as someone got one of the shuttles into the air. Now the last of the hold outs moved, pressing themselves against the building if only to get out of the line of fire. Alex went with them, still mostly focused on the enemy. 

A turbo cannon let loose a volley of shots that left red afterimages in Kallus's vision. Craters appeared in the ground as the main mass of spiders went flying. Unfortunately the front ranks went flying straight at him and the other rebels. Kallus dived into a roll. Something hit his back. That would leave a bruise. 

He came up on his knees. Saw white and lashed out. A clicking hiss was his answer as red eyes went dark. Something moved beside him. Still in his knees, Kallus spun around. The spider was half crushed, two of it's legs dragging, but it still lashed out. He caught the attack and rolled back, flipping the creature over him. 

He tried for his feet. A low boom rolled over them, kicking dust into the air. Kallus fell back. His eyes were full of grit. He tried not to cough. Something hit the ground to his left. Alex rolled away from it and hit a wall. Putting his back to it, he brandished his borifle. 

Another bang went off overhead. This time the smoke was pushed aside. Most of the spiders were still on the ridge. The rest were scattered, acting as chaotically as the rebels. Blaster fire still wasn't doing much but more then one spider had been crushed, or blasted apart by fire from the fighters now in the air.

They needed to reinforce the perimeter, stop any more of the spiders from joining the fight. They needed to pull back their people so the ships could get a clear line of fire.

Kallus ran along the wall until he got to a door. There was a man slumped against it, bleeding and unconscious. He wanted to curse, but that took breath and time he didn't have. Instead Kallus grabbed the man, propped him next to the door and found his com. 

The com channels the resistance used were already set. There at least the resistance had some form of system. Kallus tried the door, then banged on it as he listened to the pilots and people inside the buildings trying to coordinate. It took three tries before someone opened the door enough to pull the wounded man inside. Kallus shook his head when they waved him in too. He clipped the man's com around his ear, flipped his borifle around and headed back into the fight.

Now that he knew when the air strikes were coming he had the advantage. He bashed on spider-creature in the face, then crouched and braced himself as the slipstream from a fighter blasted overhead. It was aiming at the group of spiders on the ridge...

Why were they still on the ridge?

"This is Agent Kallus. I'm on the ground outside building Delta. Does anyone have eyes beyond the ridge to the north-east?

Static for a minute, then "Copy Kallus. This is Tempest 3 I have eyes on the ridge."

For a minute Kallus waited for the report but of course the pilot wouldn't know what he needed. "Are they falling back? Can you see any reason they're not flooding the perimeter?"

"No, they're pretty scattered. Tempest 4 is chasing a group of them off."

"Understood," Kallus snapped. He didn't need to know about a pilot who wasn't focused on the immediate threat. 

Why weren't they coming closer? There was now a gap in the field where the rebels had pulled back but they hadn't filled it. A few spiders came down the hill, but...

"There's something about the perimeter. They don't want to cross it." He had to shout into the com and hope someone was listening. He wasn't an engineer. He didn't know if there was a frequency or a signal or some kind of smell that the spiders didn't like, but in that moment it wasn't his job. His job was to stay alive and keep as many other people alive as he could. 

Alex saw a flash of white in the dust and threw himself towards it.

<><><>

This time waking up was not comfortable. He was on a mat, the kind generally used to cushion cargo on freighters, with a rough emergency blanket over his lower half. Both blanket and mat smelled like engine grease. Around him quiet conversation was undercut by moans and the beeping of droids. Opening his eyes, he saw the blue-gray of the sky rather than a shuttle bulkhead or ceiling. 

He covered his face and groaned. A minute later someone was beside him. She was a woman with short hair and medic patch on her shoulder. She checked his eyes and had him tell her his name, and track his finger. She told him he had a concussion. She gave him water and told him to rest. Bacta wasn't much good for concussions and in any case they needed it for those who were worse off. 

"What happened?" He asked as she moved to stand. "With the fight?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're still here." She raised an eyebrow, then gave it. "There's a frequency that the beacons give out. They figured out those things hate it so we're completely surrounded now. Don't worry." She patted his shoulder, and moved on to her next patent. Alex knew better then to move too much with a concussion so he laced his fingers under his head and watched the sky. 

The next person to visit him was Zeb.

Alex looked up the length of the lasat. He was dressing in his normal armor, strong legs and broad shoulders even more impressive from his current angle. His head was haloed, light catching on his fir.

Alex swallowed. His traitorous mind provided an image of Zeb crouching over him, straddling his hips, claws sharp as they dug into the ground. He wanted to hear Zeb growl. This was why he had planned to avoid the other man. He'd made his decision. 

"Hey found you. Comfortable down there?" 

Alex grabbed onto sarcasm as the only defense he could think of. "Oh yes having a concussion is very comfortable. You should try it some time."

"Maybe next time." Zeb grunted. He lifted a foot grabbing Alex's boot and shaking it. "The medics say you had to stay down there?"

"It was implied," Alex hadn't ever properly thought about the fact that Zeb's feet were as dexterous as his hands before.

"You realize most of the people here will walk away as soon as the medics take their eyes off them?"

"Then they're fools. If you don't take care of your body how can you expect it to do anything for you?" Alex made a show of settling back and closing his eyes. If that also meant he wouldn't have to deal with the temptation Zeb presented then all the better. 

"The Empire could sure stand to learn a little about that," Zeb grumbled.

Kallus opened his eyes again, ready to glare at Zeb and make a pointed comment, but Zeb was watching him, challenging him. He crossed his arms. "When the medics clear me I'm going to kick your ass."

Either Zeb's presence had summoned a medic or He'd been talking to loud. Instead of the woman from before it was a droid, but he suspected that the verdict would have been the same in any case. He was free to go provided he rested and was in the care of someone who would look after him for the rest of the cycle. Since Zeb was in charge of him anyway Alex could hardly protest when Zeb offered his hand. 

Alex nearly slung his arm over Zeb's shoulder as he would have a few days ago. But then, he'd been injured, and he hadn't realized... 

It wasn't fair that he knew exactly what he was missing. 

"So where were you during all this?"

Zeb shrugged, scratching his neck. "One of the scouts went missing. We went out to find 'em and found a bunch of crawlers of our own."

"Out in the middle of nowhere with no support. That must have been fun."

Zeb shuddered, "that's one word for it. kriffing crawlers. More than two legs is just excessive."

Alex raised an eyebrow, "More than two? Do I have to ask about lothcats and nerfs?"

"Okay no, they're fine. More than four I guess. The way those things move." Zeb puffed out his fir and his ears turned back. Alex couldn't help but laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just never figured you wouldn't like bugs. It's--" He stopped himself before he could say cute. "Unexpected."

"Yeah yeah, so you want to get some food?"

Alex nodded then paused. "I should clean up first, if you're willing to wait."

Zeb agreed, and they crossed the compound to the bunk where Alex was still being housed. Alex took his spare flight suit and slipped into the fresher. On any other day, and at any other time he would have cleaned up and been done, but Zeb was waiting just outside a very flimsy door. He wanted to look good. Except that that thought led to the possible outcomes of looking good. 

He had decided that he wouldn't tell Zeb what he was feeling. Zeb knew he would be leaving. But what if... If even with all that Zeb decided to make a move... Alex wouldn't turn him away. Zeb had come to find him, all those times. Zeb had asked him to eat with him, and sure it would only be the same commissary food they all ate, but that had to mean something...

Alex turned on the sonics and tried to focus on getting himself clean rather then the slim possibility of something happening at the end of the night.

"Sorry for the wait," Alex said as he came out. He ran a hand down his front, wishing some of his original clothing was clean. The flight suit he'd resorted to was slightly too small and stretched across his shoulders. Then he looked up and faltered.

"Agent Kallus." Fulcrum greeted him. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to get your report of the fight."

Alex nodded, "Of course," he glanced at Zeb, "Maybe another time?"

"Sure, just come find me." It had to be his imagination that Zeb looked disappointed.

Alex let out a little breath, then pulled himself up straight and turned to face Fulcrum. "Here?"

"There's a room set up if you wouldn't mind."

Alex nodded and followed. To his surprise she led him towards the command building. The first few halls were the same pre-fab as everything else. He couldn't help looking around for the sheer novelty. 

There were several rooms that were still holding boxes and crates of electronics. Droids scuttled around setting everything up. The first working room they passed was the traffic control center where pilots and droids were working together to get shuttles landing and launching. without crashing into each other. That setup was fairly normal from what he glimpsed. there was only so much you could change that kind of setup before it became unusable. 

The next active room they passed was a communications room. it didn't seem to be a main command room but there was a full sized holotable in the center so perhaps a meeting room for the higher ups. 

Then Fulcrum turned into a small office with a holo-recorder and a desk. He took the seat she offered. He watched as she typed in her access code and had to wonder if she was deliberately letting her guard down to test him or if this was something else. Habit had him memorizing the code, even if he didn't plan to do anything with it. 

Fulcrum led him through the standard questions of date, location and identity, before asking him to tell his side of things. Kallus went through the basic events first. Only when she was satisfied did he lean forward.

"Our people weren't coordinated. This was an attack by a bunch of local fauna. as far as we know they aren't even sentient."

"No one died."

Kallus shrugged, "It doesn't matter how skilled each individual is if they can't work as a unit. And I am prepared to admit that the skill of your people individually is higher then a stormtrooper. A volley of shots will still outshoot a sharpshooter every time."

"Our people?"

"You're not listening."

She tilted her head. "You believe our people need more training. I can understand that."

He narrowed his eyes and waited, "But?"

She folded her hands in front of her. "No buts. Ideas are always welcome."

"That's a bureaucratic non-answer." There was tension in his tone, but he managed not to raise his voice.

She watched him, studied him. "If you were a recruit I would have one conversation with you. If you were a member of the resistance with the experience and rank you had in the empire we would have another conversation. Since you are neither, well..." She gestured at him. 

Alex looked down at his hands. 

So she was testing him again. That was fair. He had folded last time. 

Worse, her logic was sound. This was a test, but it wasn't a trick. If he wanted to help the people who had fought beside him he would have to sign on to fight beside them again. 

It had been a week since he'd been captured. She couldn't honestly believe he would turn so quickly? Well, no. He was sure others had far sharper breaking points. He wouldn't deny that the Empire had keeled people, and a good portion of the rebellion had gotten where they were because of it. 

He nodded. "Then do you have any other questions for me?"

Fulcrum stood, "Not at this time. May I escort you out?"

He let her. A minute later the door shut behind him and he was alone with his thoughts again. He needed to get off this planet. He'd made his decision, standing around while Zeb and Fulcrum pushed and prodded him to change his mind would only end up hurting in the end.

He wandered away towards the mess hall. He had the brief hope that Zeb might still be there. That he might capture a bit of the comfort he'd had earlier, even if all potential for romance was gone. 

The mess wasn't empty, but the scattering of people was thin. Zeb wasn't there, though Alex did spot Jarrus in a corner speaking with a few people Kanan didn't recognize. 

Looking at the food on offer, he found that his appetite had dried up. In the end he took a ration bar and retreated to his bunk.

<><><>

Fulcrum, Rex, Jarrus, and Ezra had gone.

Not dead of course, just on a mission. Still, when he'd walked into the mess that morning for breakfast and seen Hera, Zeb and Sabine huddled together, it was clear this could be a bad one.

Alex had hoped to find Zeb, but not like that. He waited to one side for a few minutes, watching the Ghost crew quietly talk about resupply, and repairs and other small things. It wasn't the conversation itself that put a wall between them and the other tables full of people eating. It was the way they had their heads tilted towards each other. Hera had her Leku pulled forward, and tight around herself. The way Wren was tucked against her side, giving and asking for comfort all at once. The way Chopper made sharp motions towards anyone who got too close. Zeb was leaning against the edge of the table, arms crossed, a large and intimidating protective wall between his crew and the rest of the world. 

Alex gave up on the idea of breakfast and went to find a crew that would put him to work.

For two and a half days he only saw Zeb at a distance. It was it's own kind of dull torture and an unappetizing view of what was to come. Once he left he wouldn't know if Zeb was hurting. He wouldn't know if he lost someone or if he had anyone there to comfort him. He tried not to think about it too much.

Alex was going over their basic supplies with AP-5 when Zeb found him. When he saw Zeb's face he waved off the droid and asked, "what happened." His mind already providing a hundred scenarios of things that could have gone wrong. 

"Kanan. He... Ezra got him back but..." Zeb's voice broke. Alex looked around. There were a few crates that were in a sheltered corner, out of the way. He tugged Zeb over to them and coaxed him to sit down.

"I know they were on a mission, it didn't go well?"

"Ahsoka - Fulcrum - she's gone. Kanan can't see. Vader and a couple of inquisitors found them. I don't know all of it, but I know she held them off so Ezra could get Kanan out of there. He's in medical-" Zeb had to stop and take a few gulping breaths. "Hera's still there, but I couldn't- Couldn't just watch him like that. I mean I know he's alive. I know he's not in danger but..."

Alex hesitated, then gave in and wrapped his arms around Zeb. He might not be able to do anything else, but he could do this. "It'll be alright. I'm here," he whispered into the fir of Zeb's neck.

Zeb slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. Alex could feel him trembling, it made him feel a bit guilty for enjoying the closeness. They stayed that way for several minutes, until AP-5 wandered over.

"That's my cargo you're sitting on, and the last time I checked those crates did not include chairs, so if you wouldn't mind."

Zeb started to growl, but Alex patted his arm. "We can go to my bunk. Or yours maybe. Yours would probably be more comfortable. I think we could both use some rest."

Zeb's fir slowly flattened again, "Yeah, okay."

  
  


Getting back to Zeb's quarters passed in a haze. It was only when the door closed behind them and Zeb stepped away from his side that Alex thought about what this might mean or what might happen next.

Zeb hung up his borifle, then glanced back. Alex managed what he hoped was a supportive smile. Now was not the time for amorous thoughts. He reminded himself of his decision not to tell Zeb how he felt. He would stay as long as Zeb wanted him. He would comfort his friend, nothing more. Then Zeb started unclipping his outer armor and his decision was immediately challenged.

Zeb's armor wasn't the bulky outer layer of a clone trooper, or the Mandalorian he traveled with. Alex had never considered it before. On Lasan the Lasats he had fought had worn strips of leather and layered silk armor over their neck and other vital spots. Zeb had combined the styles, leaving his arms bare except for bracers, his legs bare except for knee and shin guards. Each piece of which was now being unclipped and dropped heavily to the floor. 

Alex shallowed the lump in his throat. He was staring. Zeb wasn't properly stripping, his under armor was still on and kept him more than decent. That didn't stop the situation from feeling like a temptation. 

Zeb had to tip his head back and fumble with a clasp at the side of his neck in order to release the collar and breastplate. His paldruns came away at the same time. Zeb shook himself rolling his shoulders stretching out his neck. The motion ended with a flick of his ears in Alex's direction.

"Is that heavy?"

Zeb shrugged as he turned, "I'm used to it."

"Even so..." Alex bent and picked up one of Zeb's bracers. It was weighty but not restrictively so. He passed it to Zeb so he could add it to the rest. 

Then they were standing in Zeb's room, watching each other, a strange expectation in the air between them. Alex licked his lips. Should he go? should he ask if Zeb wanted him to stay?

"Were you serious before? About wanting to be with me?" Zeb's voice came out low a growl more then a whisper but still somehow hesitant.

Alex's throat went dry, and he could feel his face go hot and cold all at once. He wanted to look away, but found himself frozen. When had he? No he'd never said... Had he talked in his sleep? But Zeb wouldn't take that as...

"I..."

Zeb glanced at his face then turned and started fiddling with his armor, straightening out the pieces and an putting them away in his trunk with a deliberate care. "It's just-- I mean I know you're not sticking around or whatever but we both could have died and then Kanan came back like that... He'd been fighting with Hera, but when he got back that didn't seem to matter. And I don't have anyone like that but when I imagined it, you were the closest, so I had to go find you, and now... Karabast can you just say something here?"

"I wasn't going to say anything. I... How did you know?"

Zeb glanced over his shoulder, one eyebrow about at high as it could go. "You asked if I wanted to be a lucky fool or..." Color rose in his face and he turned back to arranging his armor, closing the chest with more force than was needed. "Forget it."

"No." The word was out before Alex could even consider denying it. "I won't forget it." He took a breath. In for a credit, in for the cargo. "I do like you. I decided not to say anything because I was going to leave, but you're right. I could have died in that attack, and you... You court death with every mission you go on. Seeing you and the rest of your crew after Jarrus left-- I wanted to be there for you. I don't know what's going to happen next. I'll go if that's what you want or..."

"Stay?" Zeb was stull crouched by his chest, only half turned and glancing up at Alex through his lashes.

"If you want."

Zeb moved slowly, first standing then stepping forward. Even with Alex's declaration he gave him every chance to leave. Instead Alex reached out. He wove his fingers into the fir at the back of Zeb's neck and tipped his head as Zeb bent into the kiss. It was soft and slow. Careful more than sensuous. Alex had never kissed a non-human before and the lack of nose had him puzzled for a moment before he got used to it. He could feel Zeb's fangs behind his lips and that little hint of danger made him gasp. That was definitely something to experiment with, but later. Tonight...

"Tonight... What do you want?" Alex wasn't sure he was ready to bed Zeb. They had both been through a lot and while there was something to be said for blowing off steam, he wanted more then that from whatever this was going to be.

"Ah, yeah. We could talk?"

Alex nodded. He sat on the bed, and started removing his boots. When Zeb gave him a look he rolled his eyes. "Do you want my boots on your bed? It's not like there's anywhere else to sit."

"Ah right," Zeb ducked his head and sat beside him.

With his boots and jacket discarded, Alex stuck Zeb's pillow between himself and the wall and opened his arms. That was enough for Zeb to get the idea. The Lasat curled up over and around him like an enormous cat.

"Okay yeah, this is nice." Zeb said when he was comfortable.

Alex hummed agreement, weaving his fingers through the fir on Zeb's back. They could have just relaxed like that but a question prickled him. "What did you mean before? The fool thing?"

Zeb shifted against him. "A lucky fool. It's a ah... Innuendo I guess? Back on Lasan. Or at least it was. It meant something like... hmm... That a person was attractive enough to get sex without trying for it. But then you said I was a respected warrior at the same time, and that, well. Lasat don't have the same hang ups about gender as you humans. We had plenty of stories of warriors who partnered up and became legends."

Alex would have run a hand over his face, but it was under Zeb. "So I basically asked if you were just a pretty face or if you wanted something long term?"

"Well, not in so many words, but yeah."

"Well apparently I'm the fool, and lucky, though maybe not in that sense."

Zeb rumbled against him, something too deep to be a purr but not quite a laugh. "Oh you're definitely a lucky fool. Stick around and I'll show you just how lucky." 

The idea was a pleasant one. With the agreement that nothing would happen immediately the banter and flirtation was relaxed. Eventually Alex let his eyes close matching Zeb's deep steady breathing until they were both asleep.

<><><>

Neither of them announced the change in their relationship. The following day they ate breakfast together in the main mess hall before going off to their separate tasks. It could have been any other day on the new base. Except that whenever Alex caught a hint of purple out of the corner of his eyes, he'd turn in that direction. It wasn't always Zeb, but the Lasat did seem to go out of his way to find excuses to come talk to him. 

By the time dinner rolled around Alex was trying to think of ways to ask if he could spend the night with Zeb again. Most of the pre-fab buildings that would become barracks were set up by now, but he still didn't have a private space. Or was that too forward? Should he give Zeb more time? Some space to figure out how he felt and what he wanted? Alex could probably stand to do a bit more of that himself if he was honest.

Then Zeb sat beside him at dinner and all thoughts of taking a step back vanished. Their eyes met. He smiled and Zeb smiled back. Zeb was sitting close enough that Alex could feel the heat of his fir all up his side.

"That. See, that is what I'm talking about. What is that?" Wren said breaking through the moment as she sat down across from them. "I mean handler sure, whatever, but that is not being a handler."

Her reminder that he was still technically not a free man was a dull spike of ice. He put that chill into his glair as he did his best to meet her eyes through the helmet she was wearing.

"What concern is it of yours?"

"Considering Zeb's my teammate, practically my family, I need to know whether I should bring a shovel to this talk or not."

Alex nearly choked on his caff. Zeb looked between them, his ears flicking back and fourth. His expression displayed his confusion.

"What's shovels got to do with anything?"

Alex gave in and covered his eyes. "She's asking if she needs to threaten me to make sure I wont break your heart." That wasn't itself an admission that anything was happening, but the expression of chagrin Zeb made might as well have. 

"That's, I mean... It's only just..."

"Zeb shut up and let me do the talking," Alex said in a voice that was more fond then mocking.

"So that's a yes," Wren said, nodding to herself as she leaned back in her chair.

"We're still working out the details. I give you my word I'm not going to betray him," Alex said.

"Yeah, not sure how much your word is worth."

"Hey," Zeb interrupted. "What's that supposed to mean? He's still here isn't he? He fought with us didn't he? He's not an imperial anymore. I can date whoever I want."

Zeb's words seemed to strike a chord. It was true. He wasn't an imperial anymore. It wasn't just that he was in exile or that he was protecting his own life. At some point he'd stopped thinking like an ISB agent. 

"Well he is not joining the ghost. We don't have the bunk space and I am not sharing with Ezra so you can pound the bulkhead."

Alex glanced around. They were definitely getting a few looks. Wren's helmet wasn't doing much to lower her volume.

"Crew is up to Hera."

"Do I get a say in this?" Alex asked without much hope in the matter. In a way he was lucky. He might have been their enemy, but at least he knew them. Trying to step into this dysfunctional group with any foreknowledge would not have been fun.

"No," Sabine said at the same time Zeb said, "I'm handling it."

"If you say so." Alex sipped at his caff. They were going to make a scene and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Well, he could go get reinforcements in the form of Hera or Kanan, but they had enough to deal with at the moment. In any case he disliked the idea of leaving his lover alone in a fight. If the game was up then that was it.

Alex leaned into Zeb's side, wrapping an arm around his waist. It served the dual purpose of distracting Sabine and making Zeb sputter to a stop.

"I'm sure this conversation doesn't need to be decided here and now?" he asked looking innocently at his cup.

They started up again a minute later, but that minute was worth it.

<><><>

"You're a menace you know that?" Zeb said, walking him backwards towards his bed. They'd both stripped down to their underclothes, boxers and undershirt in Kallus's case, under armor for Zeb.

"What, for baiting her? I couldn't just let let her get the upper hand at the start. Besides you're the one who gave away the fact that this is happening." Alex's legs bumped the bunk and he sat, spreading his knees. They hadn't actually talked about what they were headed towards but Alex at least was hoping for a little more action then the night before. 

"Wouldn't have been a secret for long, what with you sleeping in my bed and all." Zeb leaned in for a kiss, and for a lazy few minutes that was all Alex focused on. The texture of Zeb's tongue against his pallet, the almost delicate way Zeb cupped his jaw. Alex wasn't a teenager anymore. He wasn't desperate, but that didn't mean he didn't want it. 

"Please tell me you know something about human anatomy," Alex gasped. It would be so easy for Zeb to push them back onto the bed and straddled him, but for some reason the other man was holding back.

"I watched a few holos, not sure how much I should trust them" Zeb said. He had his head tucked against Alex's jaw. The breath against his ear made Alex shudder, though Zeb seemed to be more interested in his beard then his ear or neck.

"I'm afraid there isn't much information on Lasats." Alex managed to say. "You'll have to tell me what you like."

"Is that what you want? For me to tell you what to do?" Zeb's voice came out in a low growl.

Alex didn't have much of a preference when it came to sex positions. He was large enough physically, and fit enough, that the people he normally managed to pick up had certain ideas. He had never minded giving them what they wanted. It had been a while since anyone had been inside him, and he had no illusions about Zeb's potential size.

He hummed both in consideration and because Zeb had dropped to his knees beside the bed and was slowly pushing his undershirt up his chest. "If you mean 'tell me what to do' in the master-servant way then no. You're not getting some docile little flower of a bed partner. However, I have been told I take direction well." He paused to strip his shirt off properly and tossed it aside. "Your turn."

Zeb sat back on his heels, "preferences, or clothing?"

"Both."

Zeb chuckled and reached for a clasp at his throat. The under armor peeled away, revealing fir that must've been flattened all day. That couldn't have been comfortable. Zeb kicked the last shred of his clothing away. As he stretched his fir rippled over tight muscles. He smiled, showing teeth as he messaged his sheath encouraging his cock to emerge, dark purple and glistening.

"If it's all the same, I've been thinking about fucking you since we found this base."

Well Alex couldn't let himself be outdone. He slid out of his boxers and settled back on the bed with his legs spread. "Not since I insulted you?"

Zeb crawled up over him, pulling Alex's legs up around his hips. "You've insulted me plenty. You'll have to be more specific."

"I'll insult you again if you think you're going to fuck me without lube." His tone stayed casual but he fixed Zeb with a look so he'd know that wasn't a point that was up for negotiation.

"Huh?" Zeb was kissing down his chest, so Alex couldn't see his face to know if he was serious. 

"Lube. Human men do not self-lubricate... Oh kriff, do that again."

Zeb purred and bit at the junction of his hip. “I’m sure I’ve got something…” It was clear he didn’t want to leave, nuzzling into the trail of hair that wound down towards Alex’s groin. Alex didn’t exactly want to push but…

“Zeb, as much as I’m enjoying this… If you would… Oh--”

A growl was the main response he got, but after a minute, Zeb leaned back and half-rolled off the bed. He opened his trunk and started digging through it, uncaring of what ended up on the floor. Alex watched the play of his shoulders and the curve of his ass, idly stroking his cock. Zeb really did have a nice ass, and his thighs weren’t anything to scoff at either. 

Zeb came up with a square bottle after a minute. He looked over the label then his eyes slanted towards Alex and a grin spread across his face. He tossed the bottle on the bed. 

“That work?”

Glance at the label had Alex raising an eyebrow. “You use oil on your fir?”

Zeb climbed back onto the bed, “Most spaceships aren’t humid enough for it, and this planet isn’t any better. Besides, this way anyone with a nose will know I’ve had you tomorrow.”

There were several responses that jumped to mind. “Considering how I’ll be walking tomorrow I don’t think that will be in question,” was what he eventually went with. 

Zeb grinned, “so you need help with that or what?”

Alex spread his legs again, pouring some of the oil onto his palm, coating his fingers and cock. He let his eyes drift closed, his head tipped back against the wall as he circled his hole. When his first finger slipped inside he sighed. Beside him Zeb let out a low rumbling sound that had him opening his eyes.

“You want some help with that?” Zeb asked, resting a hand on Alex’s knee.

Alex hesitated, then shook his head. “I’m not sure about your claws. It’s a rather sensitive area, besides, this is faster.” His spare hand came up to give his cock a few quick strokes. 

Zeb matched him, his own cock curving up towards his stomach. Every other stroke zeb traced the slick area at the base where his erection emerged from his sheath. Alex made a mental note of the area with an idea of driving Zeb wild later.

When he could handle three fingers, Alex figured he was ready. He coated his rim with a bit more oil then turned to Zeb. 

“How do you want me?”

Zeb licked his lips as his eyes traced over Alex.

“In my lap.”

That wasn’t the answer Alex had expected, but he certainly wasn’t opposed to the suggestion. He rolled over and settled himself into Zeb’s lap, nudging the Lasat’s knees into a position that would support him rather than split him open. 

He met Zeb’s eyes for a moment before wrapping his oil slick fingers around Zebs cock, and guiding it to his entrance.

They’d gone so slow this whole time. The strangest mix of hostile and careful. Zeb was unlike anyone else Alex had ever had in his bed. Having Zeb inside him was a relief and an exhilaration all at once. He couldn’t help the breathy moan that slipped out when his hips met Zeb’s.

“Yes, oh-” Zeb was purring, rubbing his hands up and down Alex’s sides, hips slowly rolling as if he was trying to keep them still, and failing.

“Yeah,” He grunted. “Harder, I’m not going to break.”

Zeb didn’t need any more encouragement. Those large, hands gripped Alex’s hips, claws drawing white lines over his skin as he lifted. A second later Alex matched his rhythm, legs straining, before letting go and sheathing Zeb’s cock all over again. Alex wove his fingers into the fir at Zeb’s neck, bent for a panting brush of lips, before giving in to the feeling. 

Zeb worked pleasure into and through him like it was his job. Like if he was somehow found lacking he’d never live it down. He coaxed and petted and lavished attention on every sensitive spot he could find. Then finally when Alex was balanced between begging and cursing him, Zeb pulled him down and fucked him through the hardest orgasm Alex could remember.

Laying in bed afterwards with Zeb tucked between his arms Alex realized all of his plans had been shattered and in that moment he didn't even care. 

<><><>

Alex spent the next four days alternately telling himself he'd deal with the situation and finding things to do so he didn't have to. Sleeping in Zeb's bed each night was wonderful, but didn't push him one way or the other. During those days the last of the pre-fab buildings went up, and people were either resorted into more permanent barracks or headed off to wherever they were needed next. 

He was running out of time. 

It was just after lunch hour when the choice smacked him in the face. Captain Rex was doing final inspections of several buildings. With Fulcrum supposedly dead, Rex was the only ranking officer that he knew would have access to his file. He waited until Rex had checked off the last item on his list for the current building, then stepped forward and presented himself. 

"At ease," Rex said with an almost self-mocking smile. "Kallus, what do you need?"

"To speak privately, if you have some time."

That made the smile slip. Rex looked him over. "Urgent?"

Alex shook his head, "Only to me." It was fascinating how Rex could go from attentive to alert to relaxed with only a few words. The result of his complicated life experience no doubt. He glanced at his list, then shrugged.

"Sure, this is as good a stopping point as any." Rex nodded towards the command building, and Alex fell into step behind him. Alex still didn't have access to the building on his own but Rex waved him inside and led him to one of the smaller com rooms. There were three consoles set up and idling. An older R2 unit was pulled in in the corner but other then that the room was silent. 

Rex dropped into one of the chairs and gestured Alex to another. "So, what do you need?"

"It's about my position here." Alex paused and licked his lips, trying to figure out the best words. "I suppose you know that Zeb and I...?"

"Anyone who's paying attention knows you two are knocking boots."

Alex cleared his throat and nodded, "Yes well. Fulcrum was setting up a kind of retirement for me, before she..." This time Rex didn't fill the silence. Alex wasn't sure how to approach that subject. He might only have the outline of what was between them but he still knew it meant a lot. For his part he wasn't completely sure she was dead. He'd fought the Rebels and had them slip away too many times to believe it without a body.

"In any case, I'm not sure what she put in place and now I'm. Well, I'm not sure that's what I want anymore."

Rex ran a hand over his beard. "I'm not trying to force you into anything but I need you to be clear about this. Are you asking to sign up, or are you just asking to stick around a little longer?"

And there it was. The question he'd been avoiding. He knew the answer, but facing it was like being handed a knife and told to cut off his own hand. It wasn't just taking himself off the field, it was a complete reversal of everything he'd been. He thought of the ghost of that life. The ghost that was still clinging to every action and reaction. He let himself think - for the first time - of all the people he'd hut in the name of the empire's safety. He thought about the things waiting on the other side of this decision. Zeb, but also higher odds of a swift death fighting a battle he'd likely never see the end of. 

Never let it be said that he was a coward or shied away from difficult choices.

"I want to sign up. I'll tell you everything I know, hand over all my codes, I just request that before I'm sent anywhere I'm given the option to tell... to talk to Zeb." The words felt numb on his lips. There was no going back.

Rex leaned back, and crossed his arms, watching him for a long minute after Alex went silent. Eventually he nodded. "Okay. You give me that information and I'll sign you up. Since you were a spy, anything you say will need to be verified so I wouldn't worry about getting sent out immediately. That also means the monitor stays on for now. You okay with that?"

Alex nodded. Any level of caution was understandable as long as he got to stay with Zeb. The rest he could deal with when it happened. Rex nodded to himself and spun in his seat, logging in to the nearest terminal. He opened what looked like a standard information form, then pushed his chair back and motioned for Alex to take his place. 

"No time like the present."

Still numb, but with a growing sense of momentum, Alex pulled his chair up to the console. For a moment he didn't know where to start. There was so much he could tell. His fingers found the keys, and when Lothal came to mind, he started typing. 

After a time Rex patted him on the shoulder. He made a noise about caff and got up. Alex briefly registered the fact that he was alone in the heart of the rebellion's control center, already logged in to a high level access. He shook his head, He had apparently thrown in with a bunch of security oblivious idiots. He went back to typing. 

Alex tried to keep track of time but the report started to grow, listing people and places and details he hadn't thought about in months or years. Rex came back with caff, then left again. Alex started to get a crick in his neck, his eyes protesting the light of the screen. He ignored it and started a new document outlining his training and the people he knew in the ISB command structure. At some point his fingers started to shake and he had to pull them back and breathe. More than once he found himself falling into the type of wording he'd used in Imperial reports. When that happened the first time he tried to backtrack and rewrite the section. The second time he added an addendum, noting the format and offering to answer any questions. The third time he added a follow-up that ranted about the emotionless state of things and how reports that even hinted at feelings were ridiculed, even when the topic was something no one should have to face. He made a note to go back and clean that bit up before anyone had a chance to read it. 

He was trying to figure out the right way to describe the political struggle between Tarken and Krennic, with the added variable of the new tie-fighter program, when the alert came up. There was an urgent message for Fulcrum. There were at least three flags on it, though, Alex didn't know the rebel code well enough to guess what they might mean. Was Rex getting all of Fulcrums messages or was this being routed to everyone on base? Did the sender know Fulcrum was dead?

He clicked on the message. It asked for an access code, and he pulled up the memory of Fulcrum's password. The message opened without even needing a second attempt. There were a number of beeps as the message cued up, then a face flickered onto the screen. The message was encrypted, and the background was nondescript, but Kallus wanted to tell the man that audio would have worked just as well, distorted audio even better. The Empire couldn't use an audio clip to identify a person, they were too easy to fake or manufacture. 

"Fulcrum, Ahsoka, We need your help." It was a woman, or two women a second one passed the camera caring a blaster. They looked similar enough that they had to be at least sisters. In the message the first woman glanced over her shoulder, then leaned in.

"They still think there's only one of us, but otherwise our cover has been blown. We need an evac."

The buffered message finally synced up. There was a brief jump as a second or two was cut off. "Coordinates?" He asked, voice steady. even as he listened he was checking settings. Could they see him? Would they realize he wasn't Fulcrum? Would telling them waste vital time that they apparently needed?

"Sending now?"

When the coordinates popped up he tried to cross-reference them with other teams, but he didn't know the system. The call signs meant nothing to him. He nearly cursed, but the connection was still open, then an idea struck. He spun, scanning for the R2 unit. It was already watching him, lights blinking.

He slapped a button to mute the connection, snapping at the droid. "You heard them. Cross-reference those coordinates with available teams in the area." The droid slid up beside him, and plugged in. He hit the button to unmute, "Are you in a secure location? What time frame are you working on?"

"Secure is relative. The minute we move they'll have us. and if anyone comes to check our passes we'll be two short. We need a shuttle off-planet."

"We need a distraction. We have a shuttle, if we could just get to it," the other woman called from off-screen. 

The location finally popped up. Bracca, a planet that was half salvage plant, half garbage dump. He couldn't imagine what two (three?) clearly sophisticated women were doing there.

"Rabe, the signal!" the second woman called from off-screen. 

The first woman started typing frantically. "I'm sending you what I can. If the inquisitors get us. If --"

"Transmission received." He cut her off. He didn't have the right to hear her goodbye message. More importantly, "Do you know which inquisitors?"

"The second and ninth?"

He hadn't met them, but he knew enough about the inquisitorious to know they were trouble. "Okay. Be ready--" The signal cut out in the middle of the sentence. His hands curled into fists, but there wasn't time to get angry, he folded his emotions away and pulled his training to the front. 

Agent Kallus turned to the droid. "Get General Syndula and Captain Rex in here, and anyone else on base who has a security level that high. The droid turned towards him and made a series of beeps. Kallus had never learned binary, so he had to assume it had obeyed him. 

Rex arrived within a minute. Hera took a few minutes longer. He used the time to pull up and replay his conversation with the woman. He knew he didn't have rank to send anyone out, but he'd given his word. He wasn't going to back out now. Those women were counting on the help that he had said was coming. 

Hera was disheveled when she arrived, but he informed her of the situation she straightened and got to work. It took an hour for the three of them, four if he counted the droid, to find people they could send and get the message to them. The S _tinger Mantis_ wasn't technically involved with the rebellion, in the same way the Ghost hadn't technically been involved at the beginning. 

Then the ship jumped to hyperspace and there was nothing left to do. Alex ran a hand through his hair, and slumped back in his chair. The emotional drain followed by the hour of high stress back-and-fourth had left him drained. His report wasn't finished, but going back to it wasn't going to be easy. A glance at the chrono proved that he'd missed dinner. Zeb was probably waiting for him.

Hera stood and stretched flicking her leku. "Well that was productive at least. R2?"

The droid turned and beeped at her. Considering her own droid, Alex wasn't surprised she understood him. After a minute she hummed and turned to Rex.

"Your thoughts?"

Rex slowly turned and ran his eyes over Alex. So they weren't talking about the deployment anymore... 

He stood up. "I'll get out of your way. I saved my report, and you're free to look over it, but it's not finished." As if he could stop them from looking at it. He was literally writing it for them. Karabast but he was tired. 

Rex held up a hand, stopping him before he could get to the door. "I say yes. He had every chance, and that last bit wasn't even planned."

He looked from Rex to Hera to the droid, eventually settling on the General Syndula. For all that they hadn't actually interacted much, she was the one he knew the best.

"Is there something I should be aware of?" Alex kept his tone low. He wasn't sure he could muster the energy to get angry at this point. 

Hera nodded, "You'll want to sit down." She waited until he had done so, "We - me and the other higher ups - figured this might happen once You and Zeb started getting close. A good number of our people join us because they love someone dedicated to the cause. We knew your skills. There was the possibility that you were a plant, even if it was a slim one. So we prepared a test." She gestured to the R2 unit. It trundled forward. 

When a pair of pincers came out, Alex wondered what he'd done wrong. He probably shouldn't have memorized Fulcrum's code, or answered the call but people were in danger. They couldn't fault him for that-- The cuff around his ankle fell away.

The droid retreated. 

Alex stared at the piece of metal sitting there on the floor. His leg felt strangely light without it. It had gotten to the point where he didn't eve3n think about it and now it was gone. 

"R2 was monitoring everything you did in this room. You didn't try to tamper with him. You didn't try to give us false information, or slip something into our systems. Answering the Fulcrum call wasn't planned, but you acted quickly and logically. The Gemini team will likely get out of there alive because of you."

He slowly drew his eyes up to Hera's face. "You're saying I'm in."

She nodded. "Yes. Welcome to the rebellion Agent Kallus. How do you feel about keeping the Fulcrum call-sign?" 

His brain wasn't processing what she was saying as fast as it should have been. He felt like there should have been something more then the still new communications room, and a couple of people he barely knew. There might have been a test, and he might have passed but it wasn't like any of the tests of simulations he'd gone through back in his time at the academy. He hadn't even finished his report. For some reason he kept coming back to that. 

He licked his lips and had to clear his throat before he could speak. "Well, I guess I should thank you then."

Rex stood and clapped him on the shoulder. "No need. I'm glad you proved our suspicions false. Now you look like a wreck, go see that partner of yours and get some sleep. We'll work out your codes and rank in the morning."

Alex stood up and this time they didn't stop him. He wandered back out into the night, then across to Zeb's room in a daze. 

Zeb looked up from a datapad as he entered. "There you are. What were you and Hera talking about for so long? Did you eat?"

Alex didn't know how to answer for a minute, then words tumbled out, "I'm staying. I've signed up. If that's alright..."

Zeb pulled him in, and his kiss said everything would work out.

  
  
  
  



End file.
